Grey Matters
by PureFuronGodliness
Summary: Pox and Crypto are dragged into a series of events, including an encounter with a grudgeful old nemesis.
1. Grey Matters

**Author's Note: I do not own Destroy All Humans!, Pox, Crypto, or anything related. I do own this fanfic and if you steal my stuff, I'll hunt you down and destroy you until you're dead.  
****My first time publishing. I'm so nervous. XD ****Please check my profile for a few hows and whys concerning the stuff I write. _Splodey van het UFO-Meldpunt, veel leesplezier! XD_**

**Arkvoodle save me, here's my story!**

**~~~Grey Matters~~~**

As usual, Pox was in his lab on the Mothership, having worked on his research for days on end. Because his mentor was so immersed in his studies, Crypto hadn't had many assignments, and randomly blowing stuff up kind of lost its fun after a while.  
He was bored, and decided to go down to the lab and bug Pox for a bit.

As the warrior clone walked out of the elevator, he could see Pox in a corner of the lab, apparently muttering to himself while looking through some papers. The computers around him hummed quietly as the Furon sat in his cerebral chair, searching for that one piece of paper that just had to be missing.

"Hiya, Poxy." Crypto greeted his mentor as he walked towards him.

"Oh, hello, 137…" Pox responded, barely looking up at him as he checked the stack of paper he was holding again.

"How's it goin'?" Crypto asked, trying to get some eye contact. "Lost something?"

"No, no… I know it's around here somewhere…" the old Furon murmured.

Pox then sighed as he directed the papers back to a desk with his psychokinesis, and rubbed his eyes for a moment.

"Brains, I'm so close to a breakthrough… There's just this one bit of information I need that I _know_ I already have somewhere."

"Watcha workin' on anyway…?" Crypto wondered.

"A safe way to introduce restored, _complete_ genetic information to a new clone…" Pox replied. "I've already been able to restore your genes, so your next clone will undergo the process of reinjecting-…"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute…" Crypto interrupted. "You're gonna use me as your guinea pig?"

"Well… Yes." Pox hesitantly admitted. "But I'm very confident it will work just fine. Plus, do you even realize what that will mean…?"

"Uh…"

"You will be the first Furon in millenia to possess genitalia." Pox told him. "And that new 'package' will need to be tested, of course."

A pleasantly surprised grin spread across Crypto's face.

"You mean, I get to screw around with human chicks? _Really_ screw around?"

"Pretty much, seeing as they are the only compatable female creatures on this planet…"

"Right on…! Sign me up, Poxy…!"

"Slow down, Crypto…" Pox frowned. "I've still not yet entirely finished my research, and I don't want to take any unnecessary risks."

"Yeah, yeah…" Crypto sighed. "Hey," he then said, remembering something he was about to tell his mentor just a few minutes earlier. "Shouldn't you, like, take a break sometime…? You look kinda tired…"

"No, I'm far too busy for any breaks. Plus, I feel fine." Pox told him, though he did feel a bit tired. "I still have all these files to go through and I have a deadline coming up for the development of a program to install to the cloning machine to-…"

"Deadline?" Crypto interrupted again. "Who the hell sets your deadlines…?!"

"I do." Pox frankly replied. "To keep myself motivated."

Crypto stared at him in disbelief for a moment.

"This is no vacation, Crypto…!" Pox defended himself. "I have serious work to do…!"

"Yeah, but you still gotta take care of yourself…!" Crypto responded. "No offense, but you kinda look like crap. Get some rest, man…! When's the last time you slept, anyway?"

"I'm not sure…" Pox replied, thinking for a moment. "I recall sleeping around the end of last year… But that was only after losing consciousness after accidentally inhaling nitric oxide."

"Pox, passing out on the lab floor doesn't count."

"Then I don't know…!" Pox huffed. "But it doesn't matter either."

"Ya know, I think it does." Crypto told his mentor. "Face it Poxy, you're gettin' old and your body can only take so much. Didn't you say you wanted your next clone body to have its package restored? Well, what if your current one won't last long enough for you to finish the research?"

Pox was silent for a moment, realizing Crypto had a point.

"Uh-huh." Crypto grinned. "Just leave all this crap for a few hours. Ya ain't got those beds up in the sleepin' quarters for nothing, right?"

"Why do you care anyway?" Pox asked, suspiciously eyeing the warrior clone. "You'd better not be up to anything…"

"Nah, don't worry, Poxy…" Crypto assured him. "I'll be up in the livin' quarters, watching tv or somethin'. I won't do anything stupid, I promise."

"Well… Alright…" Pox then said. "Maybe a few hours' rest won't hurt…"


	2. Shocking Revelations

Thus only a few minutes later, after tidying his lab, Pox was up in the sleeping quarters and headed for the bathroom.

As he hovered his cerebral chair over to the sinks to freshen up, he was a bit shocked by what the mirror above it told him.  
As he inched closer and eyed his reflection, he could only conclude Crypto had been right. His eyes looked tired, and stared back at him in an almost depressed way.

Had he perhaps really not been taking well enough care of himself? But it wasn't about him. He had a job to do, he had to save his race, and petty concerns like his physical and mental health were-…  
Pox blinked at himself. Was he going mad? Sure, his work was important, but like Crypto had said, resting every now and then also is. His body had already once payed the price for his industrious studying, leaving him with immobile legs.  
The mission he and Crypto were on had no deadline. He had plenty of time to harvest that DNA and develop a way to integrate it back into the Furon race. He shouldn't be so harsh on himself…

After this inner consultance with himself, Pox felt a bit better still about the idea of getting some sleep, and washed his face with some nice warm water before heading over to one of the large beds in the sleeping quarters' bedroom.

After dislodging his cranial supports, he took off his clothes and traded them for his PJs. He then positioned his cerebral chair right next to the bed, and took a deep breath.  
He used all the strength he had in his arms to get onto the bed, being careful not to lose his grip and fall onto the floor. After about a minute of struggling, he sat safely on the bed and let his chair hover back, a few feet from the bed and nearer to the wall.

Now feeling even more tired, Pox crawled under the covers, and finally lay down his head.  
He let out a sigh, closing his eyes as the bed's comforting softness caressed his tired body.

It still took him about an hour, but after pondering about a few more things he was finally able to fully relax, and slowly let his thoughts sail off as he drifted off to sleep.

After hanging around the living quarters watching boring television, Crypto decided to go check on his mentor again, to see if he was really sleeping.  
After taking the elevator up to the sleeping quarters, he sneaked out of it, towards the bedrooms.

One of the beds was indeed occupied, and as Crypto neared it, he could hear Pox's breathing, which always got a bit raspy as he slept.  
The warrior clone then went to stand next to the bed, and observed Pox for a while.

He looked sound asleep, breathing slowly as he lay snugly under the covers.

Crypto couldn't help grinning as he thought of all the pranks he could pull on old Poxy. He could place one of his hands in a glass of water and make him wet the bed, or he could sit in the lab and move the Mothership to orbit a different planet. Wouldn't Pox be surprised if he woke up and saw Mars through the Mothership's windows.

But he decided to give Pox a break for once. He really had seemed tired, and besides, he'd kick Crypto's ass if he did anything like that.  
He could, however, sneak a peek at Pox's computer stuff. He had always wondered what kind of files and research he had going on there.

So after quietly leaving the bedrooms again, Crypto made his way back down to the lab, and sat down behind the main computer.  
It was active, as it always was, and Crypto let his eyes glide over the displayed home screen.  
It held a few files for quick access, and Crypto opened one that seemed like a 'To-do-list' Pox made.

'

-Things to do-

Fix Scout Ship 000328's left rear observatory light  
Recategorize chemical supply  
Catch up on Zap-o-Matic upgrade deficit  
Poke brains  
Tell Crypto he needs to clean up his mess if he wants to keep his weekly 'privileges'  
Enslave human populace  
Buy cereal  
Finish reading 'The Catcher in the Rye'  
Sow pajamas  
Ignore Cryptosporidium's taunts  
Run Mothership geosynchronous orbit calculations yet again  
Recover lost bromine vial '

Crypto grinned at himself as he read the list. Maybe Pox was going crazy. Or maybe he'd always been nuts. Crypto wasn't sure.  
He continued snooping around, pulling up the main catalogue.

He stared at the bazillion folders that popped up, with names reaching from 'Majestic Weaponry' to 'North American Adolescent Dance Habits'.  
He let out a puff as he scrolled down the seemingly endless collection of data folders, and then accessed the search function. What did he want to know…?

Would Pox still have a file on Silhouette? …Yes. A pretty big one at that.  
Would Pox have a file on him, Crypto…? Yes. That's just creepy…

But his heart skipped a beat when he noticed there was also a file on Crypto-136.

He opened it, and started to read.  
It listed all the facts Crypto also knew himself. The journey to Earth, the crash, the capture…

But there was a section that had clearly been added later, and it included copies of human made paper files. Crypto's heart beat a little faster as he continued to read what Pox had once written.

'

Earth date August 23, 1957

I sent Cryptosporidium-137 to a human military base known as Area 42, as my research indicated 136 might be held captive there. After finding fragments of the crashed Scout Ship, he found the rest of it in a secret Majestic lab. But what he also found was 136.  
He was dead, as I had feared, and still on a dissection table. Crypto had seemed severely affected, I think he had convinced himself 136 would be alive. But the fact that pained him the most was that 136 had been desecrated by the humans.

After destroying all Furon remains in the lab, I had him retrieve the lab's data briefcase and bring it to me.  
As I read through the files inside it, the horrors 136 had to endure were presented to me. I didn't have the heart to tell Crypto all the gruesome details of his capture and autopsy, so I just gave him his next assignments and acted like normal. Perhaps I will tell him one day, but no time soon. I don't want to hurt him by tearing open old wounds.

Next file of chronological mission report: IDSOL3-654482 '

Crypto stared quietly at the computer screen again, trying to decide whether he should read the human reports or not. Even Pox seemed to be affected by them, and that's saying something, he thought. Pox was used to some gore and stuff because of the autopsies and operations he did himself, so what could have happened that made 136's so gruesome?

He decided he didn't know if he really wanted to know, but he _had_ to know. He had been dying to know what happened to Crypto-136 since the moment Pox told him he had disappeared, so now that he finally had a chance to find out exactly what the humans did to him, he should take it.

He let out a deep sigh, and opened the copy of the original file on screen.

'

CLASSIFIED CLASSIFIED  
16 August 1957

Officer Neil Cartwright, 2nd division.

REPORT OF CAPTURE AND EXAMINATION OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL

August 16th, Area 42, New Mexico. During tests involving atmospheric rockets, an unidentified flying object (hereafter: UFO) attempted a landing on one of the B-6 missiles. It caused the missile to detonate before liftoff, sending the UFO crashing to the desert ground.  
Armed ground troops were immediately dispatched to investigate, and as they neared the downed vessel, slammed into the ground about 3 feet, a figure described by the soldiers as 'a little green/grey man' came crawling out. It carried a weapon, but lost consciousness before being able to fire at the troops that surrounded it.

It was immediately captured, and it was taken to Lab 4B of the government Majestic base at Area 42. The crashed UFO was later also brought here. [See document 003683C included in this file.]

As the creature was brought into the lab, it regained consciousness, and immediately became aggressive. Government agents M561 and M498 intervened, shocking the alien with cattle prods until it had to let go of the scientists [ID's 0478, 0460 and 0433]. Both agents then proceeded to strap the weakened being to the dissection table present in the lab, but it had faked being weak, and attacked scientist 0478 again. The agents immediately responded, but needed assistance from government agent M528 to get the alien off of him.

The extraterrestrial had to be worked to the ground, and scientist 0478 was taken to the base's first aid post.  
The alien being refused to surrender, and kept snapping its bloody teeth at every- and anyone who got near it until agent M528 drew his type 2.3 MRE PlasmaVolt and shot it point blank in its face. But then the creature really went ballistic. Using what appeared to be some form of psychokinesis, he threw agent M528 against the ceiling of the lab, killing him. Agent M561 was also killed by being thrown head first against a lab wall. Agent M498 ran for the exit, but the alien threw a chair after him, hitting him in the back and knocking him out.

With no more Majestic agents left inside, the creature tried to escape, but agent M617, standing guard outside, shot him with his type 3.0 MRE PlasmaVolt Shotgun, critically wounding the alien to the point its internal organs could be seen.  
It was immediately captured again, and strapped back down onto the dissection table whilst being shocked with cattleprods by agents M510 and M493, whom had been called in for backup. Along with scientists 0460, 0433 and 0442 [replacing 0478] it was decided the autopsy would be carried out immediately, despite the creature still being alive.

As scientist 0433 made the first incisions to reach the alien's internal organs, it cried of pain, and kept doing so while various organs were removed, until 0460 finally cut its throat, killing it. The examination was then fully carried out following standard procedure.

AUTOPSY REPORT  
Date: 16 August 1957

Subject: Extraterrestrial lifeform – Identified as Furon

Subject Name: Cryptosporidium, clone no. 136

Examinors: ID's 0433, 0442 and 0460

Subject stats:

Sex: Unknown, presumably male

Age: Unknown

Height: 44 inches

Weight: 60 lbs

Eyes: Black, red, reflective

Skin: Grey

Other properties: Large cranium, sharp teeth, eight fingers, eight toes, no apparent reproductive organs

Injuries:

Prior to autopsy, subject assumedly had mild to heavy concussion of the brain, spinal injury, various small shallow wounds and abrasions and broken right side wrist joint. Also a large abdominal wound, several internal injuries due to electric shock trauma and a deep laceration across the neck.

Anomalies:

Unidentified organ 1:

Located in chest cavity. Presumed main function is respiration.

Unidentified organ 2:

Located in chest cavity. Function under debate.

Unidentified organ 3, 4 and 5:

Located in abdomen. Not identifiable due to damage.

Prior to injuries and death subject was most likely in fit condition, and remarkably strong for a being its size. Subject had to be killed for the examination to be completed. Subject will be tagged A42-0003688 and stored at lab 4 of Area 42's government base for future examination. '

While Crypto had been reading, tears of rage had been swelling in his eyes and he had put one of his hands to his mouth in an attempt to keep himself calm. As he finished reading the document, he moved his eyes to the post-autopsy photographs, and soon his tears ran down his cheeks.

Despite being black-and-white, the pictures showed confrontingly clear the corpse of 136, exposed, cut open, murdered.  
His various organs had been laid out and photographed, and one of the pictures was a close-up of his face, with his slashed throat clearly visible.

After watching the photographs while trying to keep himself together, Crypto furiously and almost hurriedly closed all of the files and folders as his emotions started to overwhelm him, leaving the computer as he found it.  
He turned his chair around, and as his back faced the viewscreen he buried his face in his hands, drawing in sharp breaths as he broke down.

He had tried to imagine what had happened to 136 so many times, but none of the scenarios he came up with were even remotely as horrifying as the truth.  
Crypto-136 had suffered until his very last breath, and basically been put through torture by the humans.

Crypto cried as he sat alone in the lab, and almost dug his fingernails in his own forehead as he drew in sharp sobs. He was furious, he was emotional, he was confused…  
Would Pox have told him all of this eventually? Had Pox shed any tears for him? How long would 136 have been dead before he found him?

Dammit, he had been cut open while he was still alive. How could anyone even do such a thing, even remove his organs while he cried in agony…


	3. Crushing Emotions

A few hours later, up in the sleeping quarters, Pox slowly awoke after having slept for about ten hours straight. After snoozing about for a few minutes, he slowly sat up, yawning and stretching his arms in front of him.  
He then noticed Crypto, sitting on the floor next to the bed, his legs crossed Indian style.

"Crypto…?" Pox said, his voice a bit squeaky after not being used for so long. "What are you doing here…?"

"Hiya, Pox…" Crypto responded, a bit quietly. "How did you sleep?"

"Just fine, thanks…" Pox replied, noticing Crypto didn't quite seem himself. "Are you alright…?"

"I uh… took a look at your files and stuff…"

"Oh. You know you're not supposed to. You didn't make any changes or anything, did you?"

"I read the file you have on 136."

"Oh…" Pox said again, and went quiet. He thought for a moment.

"Come sit here for a moment, Crypto…"

Crypto stared at Pox as he patted the mattress of the bed, and then reluctantly did as his mentor asked.  
He sat on the bed next to Pox and crossed his legs again.  
Pox seemed to think again before speaking.

"Did you… did you read the humans' files as well…?"

"Yeah…" Crypto replied with an unstable voice, and swallowed for a moment.

"Oh…" Pox said again, his gaze down. He then looked Crypto in the eyes again. "I'm sorry, Crypto…"

Crypto suddenly threw his arms around Pox's neck, startling him. He hid his face against Pox's shoulder and broke down again, soon drawing in sharp sobs as he couldn't help crying again.  
After recovering from the surprise of Crypto's sudden emotions, Pox put his hands on Crypto's back, slightly patting him in an attempt to comfort him.

He let Crypto cry, feeling him clenching the back of his pajama shirt's fabric tightly between his fingers as he had Pox in an almost constricting grip.

Pox could hardly hold back his own tears, sensing how upset Crypto was all too well. Back at the time, he had caught himself shedding a few tears himself after reading all the details of 136's violent demise.

But now he also felt a bit uncomfortable as Crypto nearly squished him in all his emotionality, which he probably wasn't aware of. Pox felt a strong tendency to move his legs, wanting to reposition them for some stability and resistance, but of course, he couldn't.  
Suddenly Crypto loosened his grip on Pox's PJs as he started to speak, not lifting his head from Pox's shoulder.

"It's… it's so weird…" he said, practically whispering. "I know it all happened to me, but I can't remember anything… It's like it all happened to a brother or something…"

"I meant to tell you someday," Pox told him, "But I was afraid it would be too much for you. I'm sorry…"

"H-how long had 136 been dead before we found him…?"

"Probably no more than a week. But there was nothing we could have done to save him, Crypto…"

"I know…" Crypto sighed, still lightly shaking of his emotions.

He then let go of his mentor, sitting back and then feeling rather embarrassed.

"Uh, I'm sorry…" he mumbled while running a sleeve of his shirt over his cheeks.

Pox smiled slightly, having expected Crypto would feel ashamed.

"It's alright, Crypto. It's not an easy thing to have to deal with. Do you want to… talk some more…?"

"Uh, nah… I think I'll be alright…" Crypto responded, trying to sound like himself again. "I could use an excuse to torture some humans, though. Think you'll finally have somethin' to do for me today…?"

"As a matter of fact, I think I do…" Pox replied. "Just give me a moment to get out of bed…"

Crypto got off the bed and stared at Pox as he started his struggle, after trading his pajamas for his regular white clothes. He hadn't witnessed Pox getting in or out of his chair very often, and he was kind of in dubio whether or not he should help.

He just watched as Pox almost frantically held on to his chair while dragging himself in it, and then taking a few deep breaths before reattaching his cranial supports. He was already seated before Crypto had decided if he should offer some assistance.

"There." Pox sighed. "Now, let's head for the lab while I brief you."


	4. Siberia

The two Furons made their way to the elevator and down to the lab while Pox explained his plans.

"My research indicates the Soviets may be aware of our presence." he told Crypto. "This could pose a threat, as the Russians are already developing several types of missile that are powerful enough to reach beyond the planet's atmosphere. I need you to go down to Earth and infiltrate a KGB base I have located, and find out exactly what they know of us. By any means neccessary."

"So should I abduct one of the Ivans and get him to talk?"

"That is an option. But if that doesn't suffice you might have to pose as one of the agents and try to access the intelligence they have."

"Fine."

"I'll mark the location on your saucer's radar." Pox said. "Make sure you're not detected as you near the base, and land the Scout Ship at a secluded spot. Then covertly make your way to the base, and isolate the first human you see."

Crypto got off the elevator at the hangar and entered the saucer, while Pox went down to the lab and directed his chair towards his computers, and got ready to guide Crypto.  
Crypto left the Mothership and soon entered Earth's atmosphere, heading towards the location Pox sent him to.

He wasn't too pleased to conclude it was a bleak, snowy area, probably in the midst of winter. Nevertheless he picked a good landing spot, and landed the Scout Ship.  
He left it, and soon the chilly air sent shivers down his spine, the snow crunching under his boots.

"Crap, Pox, it's freezin' around here." he complained to his mentor while he made his way towards the base nearby. "Couldn't you have told me before I left that it would be, like, fifteen Fahrenheit or somethin'?"

"Yes, well, I'm sorry." Pox replied. "I hadn't thought of checking that. But you should be alright in your uniform, as long as you keep moving."

"Whatever." Crypto mumbled. "I'm almost at the base. Don't see anyone yet, though. Can you tell me where the nearest human is?"

"Eh…" Pox said, checking his viewscreens. "I think something's wrong with the scanners. They're not indicating any human presence. Perhaps it's the cold…"

"I don't think so, Pox." Crypto responded, now entering the base. "There's no one here."

"No one…? That's odd…" Pox mumbled. "Check one of the buildings…"

Crypto headed towards a large building and checked the door. It wouldn't budge.

"Locked." he told Pox. "Where is everyone?"

Pox checked his human information database, and soon came to a conclusion.

"Oh…" he said, a bit embarrassed. "It appears today is a national holiday in Russia… 'Red Army Day', or 'Soviet Army and Navy Day'. All humans get a day off… Women give the men in their lives small gifts, they eat boiled dough and hold parades to honor-…"

"Alright, I get it." Crypto growled. "So I've been freezin' my ass off for nothing."

"Well, excuse me…!" Pox huffed. "Humans have a lot of different holidays, you know. It's quite a challenge to keep track of them…!"

"Whatever." Crypto said again. "What do we do now?"

"I suppose we'll have to try again later." Pox sighed. "You should return to the Mothership."

"Fine."

Crypto turned around and started to make his way back to the saucer.  
As he plowed through the snow, he glanced behind him a few times, hearing odd noises and getting a feeling he was being watched.

"Pox, is anything followin' me?" he asked his mentor telepathically.

Pox checked his screens.

"I'm not sure." he responded. "I still think the scanners can't cope with those low temperatures, I'm getting some very strange readings. Why?"

"Just tell me if anything's behind me." Crypto told him, getting a bit uncomfortable. "I'm hearin' stuff."

"Yes, there is something near you." Pox replied. "But it's most likely some native animal, a rodent or something. Though they can get quite big around this area… There is a nuclear facility nearby and it has been known to cause mutations in the local wildlife…"

"Can't you tell what it is?"

"No, not right now. The scans are all funny. Right now it seems like the creature itself is in fact radioactive. Which of course is impossible."

"Yeah? What about those radioactive cows from the first game?"

"Just shut up and move!"

"Don't they have bears around here?" Crypto asked, now having stopped to look around.

"Just head back to the saucer, Crypto…" Pox sighed. "You have nothing to worry about. Besides, any creature you might encounter is likely to leave you alone if you pay no attention to it either."

"No Pox, there's somethin' goin' on here…" Crypto whispered, even though he spoke telepathically. "Somethin's following me and it ain't no rabbit."

"Oh, for Arkvoodle's sake, Crypto… It could be a bear, or a moose."

Crypto whirled around as he heard some bushes behind him rustle, and a heavy, strange breathing-like sound came from their direction.

"Do moose gurgle?"

"Eh…"

Crypto took a few careful steps towards the tall undergrowth, and soon saw a faint green glow. He stopped dead in his tracks as something moved again, and his mouth hung slightly ajar as a giant creature appeared out of the bushes, glaring at him with yellow glowing eyes as it breathed its gurgling breath.

"What the…" Crypto spoke, but then the creature swiped at him with massive force, hitting him in the head and knocking him out instantly.

Pox's eyes widened as he stared at his viewscreen, startled. He was about to move his gaze to a different screen to check Crypto's lifesigns, but then saw the creature that had attacked him didn't seem to be done yet.  
It picked the unconscious Furon up and started to thrash him about, making him hit trees and wounding him with its own massive claws.

Pox placed his hands to his mouth as he stared at the violence in horror, almost getting physically ill at the sheer brutality at which Crypto was being roughed up. And there was nothing Pox could do to stop it.

After a number of agonizing minutes the creature ceased its beatings and unceremoniously dropped Crypto to the ground. It then left, and disappeared into the Siberian fog.  
Pox stared at Crypto as he lay on his chest in the snow, his face half visible and his eyes closed. Pox was sure he was dead, but as he checked his vital signs, transmitted to the Mothership by the life support system in Crypto's uniform, saw that he wasn't.

"Brains…" he mumbled, already seeing Crypto's lips going blue of the cold. "Crypto…? Crypto…!"

But he got no response.  
A slight feeling of panic overcame Pox. Now what? Crypto was unconscious and probably badly hurt. Even if he came to again, it was quite possible he wouldn't be able to make it to the saucer on his own anymore. Pox had to do something, he couldn't let him freeze to death…!

His mind racing, Pox ordered the Scout Ship to return to the Mothership. He then quickly made his way down to the hangar, and arrived just as the ship landed. Pox quickly entered it, cerebral chair and all, and let it take off again, quickly heading back towards Earth.

He directed the saucer towards where it had came from, and flew over the area in search of the warrior clone. Soon he spotted him, and landed the saucer at a large enough clearing nearby.  
As Pox left the ship, his heart raced. He had never physically been down on the planet before. And what if that gargantuan creature was still around?

He did his best to ignore his fears as he quickly headed towards Crypto, his chair silently hovering over the snow. He finally reached him, and let his chair hover next to his unconscious body.  
Pox carefully picked him up and let him rest in his lap, careful not to make his injuries any worse than they already were. He then psychokinetically picked up Crypto's Disintegrator Ray, which he had dropped in the snow while being attacked. As he drew it towards him and held it in his hands while his arms supported Crypto, Pox noticed red stains of blood on the snow where Crypto had been lying.

He let out a small gasp, a bit shocked by how badly Crypto seemed to be bleeding. His breath condensated in the freezing cold, and as Pox saw it dissipate, he realized he was getting quite cold himself.  
He quickly turned his chair around and headed back towards the saucer, paying close attention to the surroundings and keeping the Disintegrator Ray ready to fire in his hands. Crypto hadn't moved, still lying on Pox's legs as he safely entered the saucer again.

Pox hastily made his way back to the Mothership, landing the saucer in the hangar and immediately exiting it with Crypto. He left the hangar and went up to the sleeping quarters, quickly hovering over to one of the beds.  
After taking off Crypto's cold and snow soaked uniform, Pox lay the battered warrior clone on the bed and observed his injuries for a moment.

He had numerous wounds, some shallow and some rather serious, and one of his ankles looked quite worrying. But the most prominent visible injury was a deep gash on his upper right arm, which had probably been the source of the blood Pox had seen staining the snow.

Now that he knew what he was up against, Pox placed the bed's covers over Crypto, hurried down to the lab and got some medical supplies, to tend to Crypto's wounds. After gathering up plenty, he went back up to the sleeping quarters and back to Crypto.

He started with the wound on his arm, sanitizing and carefully wrapping it in some gauze and bandages. He proceeded to do the same with the other wounds, though only tending to those that really needed his attention.

As he finished, he took another look at Crypto's ankle, but didn't dare to touch it yet. It was definitely broken, and it was most likely quite a complex fracture.  
Pox wasn't sure about any internal injuries Crypto might have, but given the violence he had to endure, there was most likely some internal damage done as well. So Pox injected some painkillers into his system using a syringe, so Crypto at least wouldn't wake up to intense pain.

Pox then put his medical things aside, and stayed near the bed, waiting for Crypto to regain consciousness.


	5. New Equipment

Almost an hour later, Crypto slowly awoke, slightly opening his eyes as he groaned. He then saw Pox, worriedly looking down at him.

"Holy crap…" he spoke, merely using his voice even causing him pain. "What happened…?"

"You were attacked." Pox replied. "I'm still not sure what creature it was… But it assaulted you quite viciously…"

"Yeah, I can feel that…" Crypto groaned. "How did I get back here?"

"I sort of… rescued you." Pox told him. "I couldn't let you freeze to death down there."

Crypto tightly closed his eyes as more pain shot through his body.

"Yeah, well, maybe you should have…" he said. "Woulda been nice if we had a Healer around during the mission…"

"Indeed, but you know Healers are scarce and all of them are needed around the Homeworld."

"Yeah, I know…" Crypto sighed, and flinched for a moment, the pains getting worse.

"Ah, man…" he groaned again. "This sucks rock… Can't you, like… put me to sleep…?" he eventually asked Pox.

"You mean… terminate you…?"

"Yeah…"

"I can't, Crypto. The law forbids artificially ending a clone's life."

"But why…?"

"It's considered wasting a clone if not all hope is lost yet." Pox told him. "I have to report every clone's death in detail to the Homeworld, so they wouldn't be happy if they read I basically killed you. Overcloning is one of the things that got our species into trouble in the first place. You see, when a Furon is cloned, their genetic information degrades by-…"

"Yeah, spare me the science lingo…" Crypto interrupted his mentor. "Can you… ngh… can you give me something against the pain then…?"

"I already have." Pox frowned. "You're still in pain?"

"Ain't it obvious…? It's killin' me here…"

"Brains, it's worse than I thought…" Pox mumbled. "Where is it originating from?"

"Ah man, everywhere… My back, my head, my guts… Everythin' hurts…"

"I… I'll get you some more anaesthetics then, in a moment. There's still a good chance for you to make it. Your left leg has a complicated fracture, though… It will heal, but you probably won't be able to run anymore."

"Ah, man…" Crypto groaned. "So I'm gonna be useless…?"

"I… suppose so." Pox admitted. "If you survive."

"C'mon, Pox. Just put me outta my misery… Just tell the Homeworld I got blown up by the monkeys or somethin'. I'm a warrior clone, for cryin' out loud, they won't think twice if they read about how I died…"

Pox sighed, and was quiet for a moment.

"I suppose you're right…" he then gave in. "I'll go prepare the syringe, then…"

Pox then left Crypto and headed for his lab, and a few minutes later, returned with a deadly cocktail, ready inside a syringe.  
He neared Crypto as he still lay breathing a bit heavily on the bed.

"What took you so long…?" the warrior clone said with a faint grin.

"Are you ready…?" Pox asked him.

"Bring it on, baby…"

Pox then introduced the needle to Crypto's upper left arm, causing him to make a small noise as it broke though his skin.  
He could soon feel the injected fluids course through his veins after Pox had removed the needle again, and closed his eyes.

"How long will it take…?" he asked Pox.

"A few minutes…" Pox replied. "It will disable your vital organs one by one, making you lose consciousness, and you'll eventually die."

"Alright…" Crypto responded, his voice already weakening. "Better tell Earth to prepare itself for Crypto… sporidium 13… 8…"

Crypto then passed out, and Pox sighed again.  
He held Crypto's wrist, and felt how his pulse faded to nothing.  
To make sure he was dead, Pox then tried to contact Crypto's mind, but was not able to.

He then removed the covers over the warrior clone and picked him up again.  
With Crypto's corpse in his lap, Pox made his way back down to the lab, to the cloning machine. Using his psychokinesis, he gently levitated Crypto's body into the Recyclotron's chamber, and activated the machine. It took a few seconds to do its work, and then the lab went quiet again.

Pox sighed. Now it was time to clone Crypto again. But would he have gotten the DNA re-injection process right…? He figured there was only one way to find out…  
Pox activated the cloning machine and programmed it. He then hovered his chair back as it started up, hissing and humming while doing its thing.

After a few minutes, it completed its job, and white vapour poured out the front cylinder door as it slowly slid open.  
Pox watched and waited quietly, feeling a bit anxious to find out about the result.

Finally, Crypto stepped out of the machine, wearing a bathrobe and having a big grin on his face.  
Pox hovered over to him.

"Welcome back." He said. "Is everything in order…?"

"I think so." Crypto replied, still not able to get that grin off his face. "Man, I sure feel different…"

"That is to be expected. Now, join me to the research area so I can examine you."

"What? No, Pox, I already checked it myself, it's fine."

"Please, Crypto, there's no need to be ashamed." Pox sighed. "Plus, I need to make sure everything is in order."

Crypto just mumbled something in response and hesitantly followed Pox to another wing of the lab.

"Alright." Pox gestured towards the dissection table. "Please sit on the table."

Crypto sighed as he took off his bathrobe and did as he was told while Pox had his back to him, putting on some latex gloves.  
Pox then turned around and directed his chair towards the dissection table, and looked Crypto in the eyes.

"Now, you said you feel different." He started. "Different in what manner?"

"I dunno, uh… Kinda… like I'm a different person, or uh, well, not a different person but just, you know, different."

Pox just stared at him and Crypto realized he wasn't making much sense.

"Yeez, I don't know…!" he exclaimed. "I feel new, hot, and ready, man…!"

"Alright, alright…" Pox responded. "I suppose that goes with the hormones. Now, let's take a look at the package."

Crypto felt rather uncomfortable as Pox examined his latest feature, and made sure it was exactly as it should be, even pressing into his abdomen to make sure all the organs were there.

"You'd better not be gettin' off on this." Crypto mumbled.

"Please, Crypto…" Pox replied while taking off his gloves. "I'm not that kind of Furon. Everything is fine, so I suppose your next task will be 'testing' it. I'll hereby grant you two days for you to spend as you please, but do be cautious when you go down to Earth. Oh, and you needn't worry about any accidents, for your semen is infertile. It is reversible, but I figured it would be the best way to start with."

"Right on." Crypto replied, already getting a bit excited.

"When you're done, you should return to the Mothership. I'll want to hear of the results. Yet, not of all the gory details…."

"Alright…!" Crypto said, hopping off the table. "See ya tomorrow, Poxy…!"

He then grabbed his bathrobe and practically ran for the elevator, stark naked.  
Pox sighed, shaking his head with a slight grin. Warrior clones…

During that whole day and the following one, Pox hung around in his lab, tinkering with some of his little projects and such and waiting for Crypto to return.  
As to be expected, Crypto took full use of the free time he had been given and finally returned at the end of the second day.

Pox had seen the Scout Ship as it headed for the hangar, and a few minutes later Crypto appeared in the lab.

"Hiya Poxy." he greeted his mentor, clearly in a good mood.

"Hello, Crypto." Pox replied. "So, been having fun?"

"Oh, you bet. Man, I never dreamed it would be this grand." Crypto sighed. "And it's so easy! I got a couple'a hippie chicks into the saucer and within, like, minutes they were all over me…! I guess they thought they were havin' the weirdest trip in all their puny lil' lives, they were up for anything…"

"Right…" Pox mumbled. "I understand you'd love to tell me all about it, but all I really need to know is if any 'problems' occurred…"

" 'Cept for me gettin' tired and having to take a breather before bein' ready for another go, things couldn't have been better." Crypto told him. "The new unit worked its magic like a charm, no glitches."

"Well, excellent." Pox said. "Fell free to continue 'testing' in your spare time, but do remain careful. Your new body cost me countless hours of research, so try to treat it with care."

"Yeah, yeah… I wanted to ask you, though, if you could maybe design me a new uniform… You know, to bring out the brand new bag…"

Pox frowned at him.

"I'm serious…!" Crypto exclaimed. "I've been runnin' around in this suit for ages, I think now's a good time for somethin' new…!"

"I will consider it." Pox promised. "Now, go take a shower. You're all sweaty…"

A few weeks passed on the Mothership with all being well. Pox eventually ended up designing three holographic potential models of Crypto's new uniform and Crypto picked the one he liked best. So Pox produced said uniform, of course integrated with all of Crypto's standard warrior clone equipment, like his shield system and jetpack.  
Crypto wore it with pride while being sent off on various regular missions, harvesting brainstems and being the US's big cheese.

But unbeknownst to the two Furons, in the meantime, trouble was brewing.


	6. Incoming Transmission

Pox was rummaging around in his lab while waiting for Crypto to return to the Mothership, having just successfully rounded up an assignment. He looked up as the interstellar communicator program on his main computer started bleeping. That could only mean an incoming call from the Homeworld.  
Wondering what the reason for this call could be, Pox accepted it and turned his chair around to face the big viewscreen that unfolded from the ceiling.

Cyclosporiasis, the Furon Navy's Admiral, appeared on screen.

"Orthopox-13," the Admiral started. "I'm afraid there's little time for formalities. I have some bad news. A contact agent of the warrior clone division of the Furon Imperial Prosecution Agency has informed me that routine warrior clone record investigations have revealed that Cryptosporidium, currently under your command, is suspected of burglary and attempted manslaughter, and is hereby ordered to return to the Homeworld to face trial."

Pox frowned.

"This must be some mistake." he told Cyclosporiasis. "I can assure you Cryptosporidium would never commit such acts. And I need him here. Can't the trial be postp-…"

"A replacement warrior clone has already been sent your way." Cyclosporiasis interrupted Pox. "If Cryptosporidium does not report at the FIPA bureau in Gorta City within four days, an arrest squad will be sent out to retrieve him."

"But I'm confident he's innocent!" Pox exclaimed. "Plus, he can't afford any legal defense…!

I demand the investigation be redone…!"

"Your request will be considered." the Admiral replied. "But Cryptosporidium is still ordered to return to the Homeworld immediately as to not delay the trial."

"I will come with him, to serve as his defense." Pox said.

"Your orders are to stay where you are and continue your mission." Cyclosporiasis told Pox a bit angrily. "We know you hold a fatherly love for him, Orthopox, and this can not be allowed to get in the way of your mission. Cryptosporidium will be appointed a lawyer, and is discharged of his position until proven innocent. I strongly suggest you follow orders and send him over immediately."

Pox timidly nodded, getting the hint.

"Yes, sir…"

Cyclosporiasis gave a single, firm and somewhat angry nod, and then the screen went blank again.  
Pox worriedly put a hand to his lips, pondering. He didn't have much time to think, though, as Crypto walked into the lab not long after the conversation had ended.

"Hiya Poxy." he greeted his mentor. But then he sensed something was up. "Somethin' wrong?"

Pox looked up at Crypto, trying to think of the best way to tell him what he'd just been informed of.

"I'm afraid so, Crypto." he then replied. "I just got a call from the Homeworld. There is an arrest warrant out for you."

"What…?!"

"Admiral Cyclosporiasis told me you are suspected of burglary and attempted manslaughter. You're ordered to report yourself in at the FIPA head bureau within four days or they'll come get you by force."

"Pox, I never did anything like that, I swear…"

"I believe you, Crypto." Pox told the warrior clone. "But we have to follow orders."

Crypto was silent for a moment, clearly starting to freak out.

"What the hell am I going to do…?" he then said. "I don't have a lawyer, I can hardly pay for my condo…!" He put a hand to his forehead, trying to calm himself down. "Could you testify as a witness or something?"

"I'm sorry, Crypto, but I've been ordered to stay here. Believe me, I would do everything in my power to help you but they've forbidden me to come with you. You'll be appointed a lawyer when you report in at the FIPA bureau. They want to proceed with your trial as soon as possible. It's all procedure…"

"Screw procedure…!" Crypto exclaimed. "I didn't do anything! How can they hold a trial over something I never did…?!"

"Like I told the Admiral, I think there's been a mistake, but even _if_ they check the investigation they still want you to return to the Homeworld immediately." Pox explained. "You're now officially no longer a warrior until you're proven innocent."

"Crap…" Crypto sighed, staring at his feet. "Crap crap, crap…." He then looked up at Pox again. "But what about you? How're you gonna continue the mission without me?"

"They've sent another warrior clone this way." Pox sighed. "I guess I'll have to show him the ropes and start all over again."

"Bastards…" Crypto grunted. "So what are we going to do now?"

"I think you'd best gather up your belongings and take a Scout Ship to head for the Homeworld." Pox told him. "Delaying things is only going to get you into more trouble."

"Yeah… alright…" Crypto replied.

He then turned around and quietly made his way to the elevator.  
Pox watched him disappear into it, heading up to the living and sleeping quarters to get his stuff together.

Pox gave another sigh. This was bad. Very bad. The FIPA's prosecutors were like sharks, and Crypto's underpaid appointed lawyer would be no match for them, even if Crypto really was innocent. If only Pox could help, but curses, he wasn't even allowed to.

Pox felt several emotions washing over him, but he tried to remain calm. Yet his thoughts were persistant. What if they convicted Crypto? What if Pox would not see him for years to come? A bit hesitantly, Pox had to admit to himself that Cyclosporiasis had been right. Pox did feel like a father to Crypto. And what father could bear their son being locked up for a crime he never committed?


	7. Kneedeep

Crypto stepped out of the elevator, deep in his own thoughts. Dammit, one interstellar freakin' phonecall and his whole life hangs in the balance. And he really never tried to kill anyone. Never broke in anywhere either. Was someone trying to frame him or something? How long could they lock him up for something like that, anyway? Why couldn't Pox come with him? Why did he have to go through this all by himself?

His own questions nearly drove him crazy as Crypto gathered up his things. He decided he'd have to continue losing it on his way to the Homeworld, as time was thin.  
After he had everything together, he went down to the hangar.

Pox was already there, busy disabling the Scout Ship's weaponry. As his mentor ticked away on one of the computers, Crypto tossed his bag into the Abducto Beam, storing it into the saucer's hull.  
Pox turned his chair around after finishing readying the saucer.

"Are you set to go…?" he asked Crypto.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Crypto replied. "But what if I never come back?"

"You shouldn't think like that, Crypto. You're innocent so just do everything you can to prove it. And I'll… come visit you sometime if they do lock you away…"

"Gee, thanks a lot." Crypto sarcastically said. "Is the Scout Ship ready…?"

"Yes." Pox sighed. "The weapons are down, since you aren't allowed any outside the mission. The journey is also already programmed, so all you have to do is sit and wait until you arrive."

"Alright… I guess I'll be goin' then… Wish me luck, Poxy."

To Crypto's surprise, Pox then leaned forward in his chair and threw his arms around him, pulling him into an embrace. He closely held the slightly startled warrior clone, and Crypto could sense his mentor was emotional. Obviously.  
Crypto just let Pox hold him, and hesitantly put his own arms slightly around him. After a minute or two they let go, and Crypto gave Pox an odd look.

"I'm sorry…" Pox said, still sounding a bit emotional. "I'm just scared to think of what might happen to you and I must admit I do think I am going to miss you."

"Uh, okay…" Crypto replied. "Well, uh, I'll miss you too, Poxy." Though he just said that not to make Pox feel any worse.

Pox weakly smiled.

"You'd best get going now." he then told Crypto. "The Homeworld will probably let me know when your trial starts, or at least of the outcome."

"Okay…" Crypto replied. "Well uh… Bye then..."

He stepped into the Abducto Beam, preparing to enter the saucer while Pox watched him from a few yards away.

"Goodbye, Crypto. And good luck."

Crypto slightly raised his hand at Pox before entering the saucer, and a few seconds later it took off, leaving the hangar through the airlock doors and disappearing out of sight.

Pox was left hovering silently in the middle of the hangar, feeling a kind of sadness he hadn't experienced in a long time. Yet he had already been feeling rather lonely for ages, which had recently only gotten worse after Crypto acquired his 'package'.  
Though Pox could not entirely figure out why he felt so lonesome. He figured it could be partially explained by his intelligence. Crypto did not exactly make an intellectually stimulating conversationist, and he was the only one Pox was really in contact with for the last fifteen years. But Pox still valued Crypto's presence greatly, and that was also why he had started to feel increasingly lonesome since the warrior clone got his bodily upgrade.

Crypto was hardly around on the Mothership anymore, he always lingered on Earth having 'fun' with female humans, leaving Pox all by himself for sometimes days on end. Pox never complained, though, since he was the one to encourage Crypto to 'test' his newest feature extensively.

Yet that didn't seem to explain all of Pox's feelings to him. He also longed for something more, yet he wasn't really sure of what it was. Perhaps just someone articulate to talk to, someone who actually understood his projects and discoveries. Or perhaps something deeper. A real relationship, with an intelligent lady Furon. Someone to share his life with…

But that didn't really matter right now. Crypto was gone, and might not return for a long time. Pox had four lonely days ahead of him before the replacement warrior clone would arrive, and said replacement would probably be as uninterested in science as Crypto was.

After hanging around his lab for a while, not really doing anything, Pox decided he'd pass the time by getting some sleep. Maybe he'd feel a little less miserable after getting some rest…  
So he went up to the sleeping quarters, directed his chair to one of the beds and undressed himself.

After putting on his pajamas, he gathered his strength to get himself onto the bed. In a few minutes, he managed, and lay down with a sigh as he pulled the covers over himself.  
The Mothership was on Earth's night side, so after the bedrooms' lights turned off, Pox's surroundings were shrouded in near complete darkness. Pox stared into it while his thoughts drifted back up, most of them worries about Crypto.

Pox knew he was innocent. Sure, Crypto could be a bit impulsive, and he had killed countless of humans, ripping out their brainstems and disintegrating their bodies, but he would never harm a fellow Furon. There had to be some mistake, and Pox could only hope the lawyer that would aid Crypto would be able to prove it.  
If not, the fierce FIPA attorneys would probably convince the jury of Crypto being guilty, and he would be sent to Furon's prison moon to be placed behind bars for Arkvoodle knows how long.

Crypto could probably hold his own and defend himself in jail if neccessary, but it would definitely be a very rough time for him. Some sections of the prison moon were notorious for their violent inmate gang regimes.

Pox continued torturing himself with his thoughts, most of them a bit premature, but he couldn't help worrying. He cared for Crypto, he didn't want him to get hurt. He didn't want him to get sent to such a hostile environment for something he never did.  
As Pox lay staring into the darkness around him, tears silently ran down his cheeks.


	8. Reflecting

Meanwhile, already thousands of miles away and zooming through space well over lightspeed, Crypto sat in the Scout Ship's pilot seat, leaning back.  
He was also deep in thought about everything that was going on, but also about that embrace his mentor had pulled him into.  
It had caught him quite off guard, also because of the complex blend of emotions he sensed from Pox. Crypto had sensed fear, worry. Also regret. But the one that got him most was love. Not romantic love of course, Crypto could only describe it as a kind of fatherly love.

And it kind of puzzled him. He had always known Pox felt a certain kind of responsibility for him, but he never knew it really went further than that.

Crypto didn't really understand why Pox would hold such feelings for him. Crypto loved pushing Pox's buttons, annoying him when he was trying to concentrate and things like that, and he often challenged him by ignoring his orders and going his own way, which often didn't turn out so well. But apparently, despite Crypto being the way he was sometimes, Pox still felt the way he did.

Maybe the fact he was Crypto's cloner also had something to do with it. Pox had been one of the inventors and developers of the process, and he ended up creating Crypto's first clone, all the way to the brand new, fully armed 138th.

Which made Crypto turn his thoughts to himself. How did _he_ feel about Pox? He might not have such strong feelings for his mentor as Pox had for him, but he supposed Pox really was the only father-figure he'd ever had. Crypto never knew his real father, and Pox had been his commander since Crypto first joined the Furon military back when he was seventeen.

Now he realized. If Pox had been any other commander, Crypto would have gotten his ass kicked if he gave him the attitude he always gave Pox. He didn't even have to call Pox 'sir'. Pox pretty much let him get away with everything, while in the past Crypto had heard he wasn't so easy with other warriors under his command.

Crypto realized that for the past fifteen years, he had been the only one for Pox to talk to. Pox never went down to Earth, and he and Crypto were the only ones on the Mothership.

So while Crypto was down on the planet, blowing stuff up, hooking up with chicks, passing out on alcohol and sometimes hanging around for days, Pox was alone and had no one to talk to but himself.

Crypto stared at his hands while he slowly fumbled with them. He should have thought of that. He should have thought of Pox more. But he never really realized how things really were. He was probably too busy with himself.

Dammit, now he wished he could only tell Pox he was sorry, but it was too late. The soonest he'd see his mentor again would be in well over a week, and that's the best case scenario.

In the meantime, there was also still the worst case scenario to worry about…


	9. Entosis

Three days passed, and as Pox was busy in his lab, trying to distract himself from worrying by working on his genetic code, one of his computers started bleeping to attract his attention.  
Pox turned to it, and saw it notified that an unknown craft was heading for the Mothership. That could only be the warrior clone that had been sent to him.  
Pox saved the progress he had made with his research, despite how miniscule it was, and headed over to the hangar to prepare it for the replacement's arrival.

Once he arrived, Pox went over to the main hangar computer and told it to grant access to the approaching spacecraft. Just a few minutes later, the airlock doors opened, and a small ship entered the large hangar.  
Pox slightly frowned as he watched it land.

It was a Furon Scout Ship, but a heavily outdated one. It didn't seem very well maintained either. Fitting something like a Quantum Deconstructor on such an obsolete craft might prove problematic…  
As Pox observed the vessel from a few yards away, its Abducto Beam activated and its passenger appeared.

He looked like an ordinary enough Furon, perhaps slightly shorter than Crypto and wearing the old standard warrior clone uniform Crypto had also worn before he got his new one.  
He didn't look too bright, though…

After looking around, impressed by the brand new replacement Scout Ship that stood nearby and all the shiny machinery, the warrior spotted Pox and made his way over to him.

"You Orthopox?" the Furon bluntly asked.

"Yes, I am." Pox replied. "And as you should know, circumstances demand you address me as 'sir'."

"Whatever, sir. The name's Entosis-332 and I'm the warrior clone you were told about."

"I figured as much." Pox frowned. He was about to continue speaking but Entosis interrupted him.

"Nice place you got here." he said. "The last Furon Mothership I saw probably wasn't half as big as this one. So what do ya want me to do? Do I get to use that hot ride you got standing there?"

"Not so fast, Entosis." Pox said, already annoyed by him. "First I would like to know what training you have had. How well developed are your psychokinetic abilities, for example?"

"Oh, I haven't got PK." Entosis replied. "Never ended up developing it. I can make a handkerchief disappear, though."

"You do not possess psychokinesis…?!" Pox exclaimed.

"Yeah." Entosis replied with a frown. "You got a problem with that?"

Pox sighed. This was unbelievable.

"Well, I suppose you can still extract human brains with the Anal Probe…" he mumbled. "What's the last mission you've been on?"

" 'Anal Probe'…?" Entosis repeated. "What, are you some kinda perv?"

"_I asked you a question!_"

"Alright, alright…! Yeez man, keep yer panties on. Uh, I was sent over to Ragbak 4 about a year ago to help clean up the mess the Falopian War had left behind."

"That's it?" Pox asked. "Have you ever _been_ in an actual battle situation?"

"Yeah, sure." Entosis replied. "You know about the battle of Stampvol on Blubber's third moon? I fought the Piepers there."

"The Piepers were twelve inches high…"

"Yeah, but they were fierce!"

"Brains…" Pox sighed. He was silent for a moment, thinking. Then he asked,

"Have you been informed of what your task here will be composed of?"

"Not really." Entosis shrugged. "Everyone was kinda in a hurry, but I was told I probably got to blow stuff up."

"Well, that will definitely not be your main goal." Pox frowned again. "Your main goal will be to harvest human brainstems so that I may extract the pure Furon DNA from inside of them."

"What do you need that for?"

"Aren't you aware of the degradation of our species' DNA patterns?"

"No. Is that a bad thing?"

Pox sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. He wasn't going through this again.

"Look." he spoke. "Just follow my orders and watch your step. Humans, the species you'll encounter on the planet below, are weak but they can still pose a threat. They have developed primitive firearms and other weaponry, and won't hesitate to attack and try to kill you. But the worst situation you could get yourself into is being captured alive. Don't let that happen, because if you do, there won't be much I can do to help you."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Entosis responded. "Hey, what's with the floaty chair?"

"That's none of your business! Were you even listening to me?!"

"Yeah yeah. Follow orders, watch step, don't get captured… Do I get any guns?"

"Yes…" Pox sighed. "We'll start off with the Zap-O-Matic…"

And thus, Entosis' missions began. Pox's fears were confirmed, as it didn't take long for the warrior clone to prove he was… well, a bit incompetent to say the least.  
During the first five days, Pox sent him down to Earth in the Scout Ship he had arrived in. He didn't dare trust Entosis with his new, precious, expensive one. And once Entosis arrived on the planet, trouble began almost immediately, as his outdated saucer did not have a cloaking system and its noisy engines alerted humans even easier.  
Against all odds, Entosis had managed to avoid getting killed so far, but only by bailing out of a situation when it started to get out of hand.

Since he was not able to manually extract brainstems, he had to rely on the Anal Probe which meant he had to get relatively close to his targets, which of course was more dangerous. Even after many confrontations with armed humans, Entosis still didn't seem to be able to properly judge the situations he got into and predict the opponent's actions, to Pox's frustration.  
They were humans, for Arkvoodle's sake. How hard could it be? It seemed Entosis was simply unwilling to learn. Anything.


	10. A Mess

Nearly a week had passed when Pox was sitting in his lab again, squinting through safety goggles as he carefully handled some vials containing chemicals. The dangerous substances required his full attention, therefore his mood dropped when the elevator doors opened on the opposite side of the lab, and Entosis stepped into view.  
The incurious intruder made his way over to his unhappy commander, not deterred by Pox's demuring glare.

"Whatcha doing?" Entosis asked, not really caring. He was just bored.

"Experimenting. Now please leave."

Entosis picked up a small Erlenmeyer containing an orange liquid, and studied it.

"Experimenting with what? That DNA stuff…?"

"No. I'm trying to develop a new volatile substance to combine with the Anal Probe so that any human whose brain has been extracted will instantly disintegrate, leaving behind as little physical evidence of our existance as possible. Now put that down."

"Maybe you should put more o' this stuff in."

To which Entosis emptied the container he was holding into the large Erlenmeyer Pox was working with.

"No!" Pox exclaimed, but it was too late.

The chemicals instantly reacted, producing a nasty brown smoke. Pox hastily directed his chair backwards and activated the ventilation duct above the table. But the surge of air going up only fueled the reaction, and the glass Erlenmeyer shattered, spilling its contents over the table, causing more glass containers to break and setting off more noxious chemical reactions.

"_You idiot!_" Pox yelled. "Get out of my lab! NOW!"

"Hey, I was just-…"

"_Leave!_"

Feeling Pox's rage burning in his cranium, Entosis finally did what he was told and made a hasty exit.  
Leaving Pox behind with a toxic, fuming and fizzing mess to clean up.

A few hours later, Pox sat sulking about in a different wing of the lab which he mainly used as an observatory, still cranky about the earlier little lab disaster.

But it wasn't just that. From the moment he arrived Entosis had been getting on his nerves. He was unwanted to begin with but the fact the replacement warrior was also disobedient, unlearning and sometimes downright crass made Pox having to resist the urge to simply make the hoodlum's head explode.

He didn't trust him one iota either. On the third day after his arrival Pox had caught him snooping around the lab's research area, rummaging through his files and messing around with prototype weaponry.  
So obviously it didn't take long for tension to build up between warrior and commander. Pox decided he'd avoid Entosis for a while now, to prevent conflict.

After angrily thinking back about the chemical catastrophe, which took one and a half hour to clean up, even with the aid of two modified Household Droids, Pox's thoughts shifted back to Crypto's trial. Shouldn't he have heard of it by now?  
But his train of thought was halted as the lab's silence was broken by the arriving elevator.

Pox's anger lit up again. But he kept himself calm. What did Entosis want _now_?  
The indiscipline Furon walked out of the lift and headed over to Pox again.

"Hey man," he started, not really aware of the fact Pox was still pretty pissed. "Got anything to do for me? I'm bored outta my skull."

"Oh, _pardon me_ for neglecting your needs!" Pox said, his anger already leaping out of his grasp. "It must have been quite tedious for you to sit around and do _nothing_ while I was risking my lungs cleaning up that chemical slosh you caused! And how many times do I have to tell you to address me with 'sir'?! If you do not start showing me the proper respect I will send you back to the Homeworld and see to it that you won't be given a Gortan penny for the tiddlywinks you've been preforming here!"

"You ain't gotta yell at me, I'm standing right here!" Entosis exclaimed. "And you can't cut my payment! I have rights, you know!"

"And you also have duties! I have no use for an immutable screw-up like you!"

"You calling me a screw-up?" Entosis said threateningly.

"_Yes_ I am." Pox replied, not intimidated. "And an inarticulate one at that."

"I don't have to take this crap…" Entosis responded, and turned his back to Pox, heading back to the elevator.

Pox glared after him, glad to see him leave again. He turned his chair back around to face the window he'd been looking out through earlier, and returned to his displeased thoughts.


	11. Treachery

The next day, Pox rescheduled an earlier planned mission for that day, feeling things were too high-strung right now for Entosis to be sent off. As far as Pox knew, he was currently up in the training dome as he was more often when he had nothing to do.

Pox had plenty to do, and by noon, he had been in his lab all morning extracting DNA.  
He was staring at one of his computer's viewscreens re-reading some research files when he heard the Mothership elevator again. He just sighed to himself and continued reading.

Until he felt a sharp sting in his right upper arm.

Startled, Pox immediately moved his chair back and janked out the object in his arm.  
As he looked at it while holding it in his hand, he realized it was a syringe. And it was empty.  
He looked up at Entosis, standing in front of him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing…?!" Pox exclaimed. "What is this?!"

"That…?" Entosis responded. "That is a needle which until very recently held a drug with a fancy name I don't remember right now. What I do know is that it's used on Furon prison inmates to suppress their mental abilities. I know a guy who knows a guy who got me a small bottle of the stuff ages ago, and I kept it around, thinking it might be useful sometime."

"Psychoform anaesthetica…" Pox whispered to himself, and dropped the syringe, his hands shaking.

"That's right." Entosis grinned. "I'm not putting up with your crap anymore. I'm taking that shiny Scout Ship and any valuables you got on this piece of shit Mothership and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

Furious, Pox tried to get a psychokinetic hold on Entosis to PK throw him to his maker, but the drug had already spread in his system, and he could hardly even concentrate.  
Entosis sensed him trying, and grinned again as he knew nothing happened.

"Works well, don't it?" he spoke to his commander. "It has a few side-effects, though. You may feel a bit drowsy…"

Entosis then placed his foot against Pox's cerebral chair and pushed it back as hard as he could.  
It rapidly hovered backwards and hit the lab wall, bumping Pox out of it.

Pox roughly fell on the metal lab floor on his arms and chest, and lay rather dazed as Entosis walked towards him. The treacherous warrior clone then dragged him up by his robes, and Pox could just see him making a fist through blurred vision, before everything went black.

About an hour later, Entosis had returned to Pox's lab after readying the Scout Ship he was planning to steal and scouring the Mothership for any money or other things of value. To his frustration, he hadn't found much, and thus decided he'd take all the weaponry he could find.

But first he needed to deal with Orthopox.

Pox still lay on the lab floor, now on his side and still unconscious. His wrists were tied together on his back, and Entosis was currently busy tying his ankles together.  
He had it all figured out, Entosis thought to himself while fumbling with the ends of the rope he used. He'd make sure he'd be far, far away before this old Furon was able to call for help or report what had happened, _if_ he ever managed to free himself.

That hot Scout Ship was his. He'd take it to planet Refugus 13 and if anyone ever came after him he'd blast them to smithereens with its weaponry.  
Dammit, he was so clever. Sometimes Entosis amazed even himself. No, this wasn't tight enough…

"There's really not much use for that…" a voice suddenly came from behind the mutinous warrior clone. "He can't move 'em, anyways."

Entosis whirled around while standing up, and faced the owner of the voice that had startled him.

"Who the-…"

But Entosis was not able to finish his sentence, as he was hurled backwards by Crypto's psychokinesis, slammed against a lab wall and knocked out cold.  
Crypto's hand slightly twitched before he lowered it while staring at the slumped Entosis.

He then quickly turned his attention to Pox, and moved over to him.  
He knelt down next to him, unsure of what to do. Pox looked quite roughed up, as if he'd been beaten up, and Crypto carefully placed a hand on one of his shoulders, slightly nudging it.

He saw his mentor's brow move slightly, and Pox gave a small noise.

"Pox, you okay?"

Pox's eyes slowly opened, and he blinked a few times as he tried to focus his vision.

"Crypto…?" he hoarsely let out. "Thank Arkvoodle you're back…"

"What the hell happened here…?"

"I-…" Pox started, but then frowned oddly when he tried to move. "What's…?"

"Hang on, Poxy, I'll get you loose." Crypto told him.

He undid the rope that held Pox's wrists together, and helped him sit up before removing the ties from his ankles.  
Pox's head slowly started to clear up again, and he ran his hands over his face for a moment as Crypto tossed away the pieces of rope.

"So what happened?" Crypto asked again. "Who the hell is that guy?"

"That's Entosis, your replacement…" Pox replied. "He didn't turn out to be very reliable, to say the least… The last thing I remember is that he drugged me with psychotic sedatives… He said he wasn't going to put up with me anymore and that he was going to steal the Scout Ship…"

"Did he beat you up?"

"I don't know…" Pox responded, giving a small grunt. "It sure feels like it…"

"Well, it looks like it, too." Crypto told him. "What're we gonna do with that bastard?"

Pox looked over to the knocked out Entosis, an angry frown appearing on his face.

"We'll wrap him up and return him to sender." he growled. "The Homeworld has some serious explaining to do. And what happened to you?" he suddenly realized. "How is it you're back so soon?"

"Yeah, turned out the bureau made a mistake." Crypto replied. "For some reason they redid the investigation before I even got there, and when they checked the files they found out they'd mixed me up with some other warrior, got a number wrong or somethin'. They told me as soon as I got off my ship that my rank had been restored and I was free to go. Crappin' my shorts for four days for nothin'."

"Well," Pox sighed, feeling relieved despite the Homeworld's current apparent lack of proficiency. "At least you're off the hook."

"Yeah. But we went through all this crap for nothing. What about that jackass over there, are ya gonna report him?"

"Absolutely." Pox replied angrily. "And I'll present him on a silver platter to the Homeworld's authorities, ready to be arrested and brought before military justice…"

And so he did. After securely tying up the insubordinate Entosis Pox and Crypto locked him up inside the old Scout Ship he arrived in, and even included the syringe and empty drug bottle to serve as evidence for the mutiny he'd committed against Pox.  
After programming Entosis' ship and disabling the controls, Pox then sent him off, back to Proxima Centauri.

But his anger and disappointment were only to be heightened when he contacted the Homeworld to get some answers. They refused to admit their mistakes, even blaming Pox by telling him he was apparently not being authoritative enough to Entosis.

They dismissed Crypto's false accusations as minor procedural errors and presisted that they had sent Pox a competant and reliable replacement warrior. They did promise they'd wait for Entosis to arrive and would consider investigating Pox's reports after hearing the warrior clone's part of the story. And before Pox could complain any further they had ended the transmission.

The events left Pox quite disenchanted, and in the following days that passed Crypto could clearly tell his mentor was feeling down.  
His zest for scientific work had practically been nullified, and as a result Crypto didn't have much to do either. Not only was it starting to get boring on the Mothership, Crypto also felt sorry for his mentor. The Homeworld sure didn't grant the future savior of the Furon race the respect he deserved.


	12. Bad Idea

It was about a week after they'd gotten rid of Entosis.

Crypto headed into the lab, to see what Pox was up to. As the warrior clone expected, it wasn't much. Pox was sitting in a dimly lit corner of the observatory wing, absent-mindedly drawing some adjustments to a star chart. Crypto heard him sighing to himself as the warrior clone neared him, not noticed by his mentor.

"Hiya, Pox." Crypto then spoke. "Still not pokin' brains…?"

"Oh, hello Crypto…" Pox responded, looking up from his complex drawings. "No… I can't seem to find the will for it anymore… Sometimes the Homeworld makes me doubt our whole cause. What am I doing this for? Why would I work so hard when no one seems to care…? Am I the only one who sees the peril our race has cloned itself in to? I suppose only when mutations start to appear on a grander scale will they understand the need for our mission. But as long as they can still merrily clone themselves with relatively normal results Furonity does not or does not _want to_ understand the truth."

"You're sayin' you're not gonna continue your research anymore…?"

"No… I'll pick it up again eventually… I'm just… too angry with the Homeworld right now." Pox sighed.

"Oh." Crypto replied. "Well, you probably just need a break… You've been on this Mothership for fifteen years straight, you're practically a hermit. Waddaya say we go down to Earth for a few hours, huh? Get you some fresh air."

"I don't know, Crypto…" Pox mumbled, not feeling too comfortable to the idea.

"Come on… It really ain't so bad, ya know. And if any trouble pops up we just head back."

"Well… alright…" Pox gave in. "But only for a few hours…"

So Pox let Crypto drag him off to Earth, the warrior clone piloting the Scout Ship towards the planet below. He set course for the US, currently on Earth's night side, and eventually landed the saucer in a quiet park located in some rural area, and the two Furons left it.  
It was a clear, not too cool autumn night, and as Pox got off the ship, he felt the fresh Earth air filling his lungs. Crypto was right, it really wasn't so bad around here…  
He directed his chair out from under the saucer and gazed up for a moment, observing the stars and planets twinkling in the velvet sky.

"Pretty, ain't it?" Crypto grinned. "So, is there anything you wanna do or should we just hang around here for a while? The humans aren't likely to spot us here."

"I suppose this place is alright…" Pox replied, still feeling a bit uncomfortable exposing himself to Earth's potential perils. "And you were right, a little fresh air should do me some good…"

The two Furons then headed further into the park, leaving the Scout Ship where it was to take a little stroll. The gravel path crunched underneath Crypto's boots while Pox's chair hovered over it noiselessly.

"Why don't you just, ya know, put the guys back home under a bit of pressure?" Crypto asked his mentor as they walked. "Tell them that if they don't start showin' you some respect you'll pull the plug on the mission and they'll have so find some other genius to save the Furon race."

"If I did that it would be a serious dereliction of duty." Pox replied. "Plus, I'm the one who urged the importance of this mission. It wouldn't make much sense for me to cancel it."

"Oh."

"I just hope the Homeworld _will_ value me when our mission is complete and Furonkind's sexuality is restored."

"Yeah, heh." Crypto grinned. "Somethin' tells me they will."

Both were then startled by the sudden sound of a gunshot.  
A fraction of a second later, a round hit the side of Pox's chair, piercing its powercell, causing it to shut down and fall on the floor with a small thud.

"What the hell…?!" Crypto exclaimed, wildly looking around.

As Pox frantically but to no avail tried to get his chair to respond to his will again, about a hundred yards in front of the two Furons, armed humans then started appearing from the bushes, both military _and_ Majestic.  
Angrily baring his teeth, Crypto whipped out his Disintegrator Ray, ready to wipe them out.  
For some reason, the humans were not firing any more shots at them yet. They were just cautiously approaching as they kept their guns aimed.

Pox, still trying to get his chair to work and starting to freak out, then suddenly let out a yelp of pain as something hit his shoulder. As he quickly yanked out the object, Crypto opened fire on the humans who were getting a little too close for his comfort.  
They fired back, though not very convincingly so.

As Pox looked at the object in his hand, it turned out, to his concern, to be a dart.

"Crypto…!" he exclaimed. "You need to get out of here! Head for the Scout Ship…!"

"What…?!" Crypto yelled back. "I ain't leavin' you here!"

"There's no time to explain! Just leave me, I'll be fine…!"

Crypto looked over at Pox, and saw immediately that he was serious. His eyes were filled with a strange kind of fear and urgence, and eventually Crypto noticed the dart in his left hand.  
The warrior clone uneasily stared at his mentor as the situation got stickier, greatly unsure of what to do. Pox clearly also wasn't sure of what was to happen, but it was suddenly clear to Crypto what to do as a dart zoomed right past him.

"I-I'll come back for you, Pox!" he exclaimed as he backed up. "I swear!"

A few humans went after Crypto as he ran off, while the rest kept their aim on Pox.  
They were now close enough for Pox to use his mental abilities, so he seized his chance and levitated a soldier, flinging him against three others as forcefully as he could.  
He continued thrashing about as many humans as he could nab, taking advantage of the fact they were not firing at him. But he felt his strength fading, and knew he was greatly outnumbered.

In the meantime Crypto had made it to the saucer and entered it, immediately activating the cloaking system. But nearby missile launchers had already spotted the craft, and fired an array of projectiles at him.  
Crypto swerved the ship around, dodging as many of them as he could while trying to head back over to Pox.  
As he flew high overhead, he could just see Pox passing out and slumping on his chair as the humans approached him, and took him off his damaged cerebral chair.

Crypto was given no chance to intervene as another wave of missiles hit the saucer, and he had to leave, or crash.  
Tears starting to sting his eyes, the warrior clone directed the Scout Ship high into the atmosphere, out of reach of any human weaponry.  
Dammit, how could he have let Pox get captured? Where were they going to take him, and what were they going to do to him?!

After nearly two hours, Crypto was finally able to return to the park area. Dawn was already breaking, and most of the human presence and their artillery had gone.  
Crypto spotted a few humans conducting some research, and a few scientists surveyed four soldiers who were preparing to load Pox's cerebral chair into a truck.

Hovering high above in his cloaked ship, the warrior clone angrily observed them, but his eyes widened in surprise as the chair suddenly exploded while the soldiers were struggling to lift it, sending them flying everywhere.  
Crypto couldn't help but grin as he witnessed panic spreading amongst the surviving humans, making them run around like ants. Trust old Poxy to fit his equipment with a self-destruct system to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands…

After the chaos had subsided and the dead and wounded been removed from the scene, the remaining humans entered their vehicles and left the park, the moment Crypto had been waiting for. He covertly followed them in his saucer. He had to find out where they'd taken Pox…


	13. An Old Acquaintance

Letting out a small groan, Pox slowly regained consciousness.  
Brains, what had happened again…? He was barely able to move his arms, though he couldn't tell if that was because of sheer numbness, or of some other reason.

Suddenly he remembered the park, and the ambushing humans, and opened his eyes as rapidly as they allowed him.  
As he had feared, several humans were staring down at him. Scientists, soldiers, and… Majestic…?

"He's waking up, madam." one human outside Pox's direct vision spoke.

His fear rapidly expanding, Pox looked at his surroundings.  
He was in what appeared to be a concrete cell, with metal bars on one side. His arms were tied behind his back, and he was sitting on the floor. There were four humans standing in the cell with him, two soldiers, one Majestic agent and one apparent scientist.

Though from outside the cell, footsteps approached and a fifth human walked into Pox's view. As she stepped inside the cell, Pox could not believe his eyes.

"Good day, you little grey freak. Missed me?"

It was none other than Silhouette. Apparently still alive, she barely looked any different than she did fifteen years ago.  
She marched towards him, and squatted in front of him, getting menacingly close.  
Pox tried to shake off his shock and traded it for an angry scowl.

"What do you want from me…?" he hissed, his voice a bit hoarse.

"Oh, what I want?" Silhouette sarcastically repeated. "What I _want_?"

She then suddenly grabbed Pox by the throat, squeezing it tightly to prevent him from breathing and scaring the crap out of him.

"_I want you little grey bastards to PAY for all you've put humanity through!_" she spat in his face. "And I swear, pay you will!"

She then abruptly let him go again, making Pox gasp for air.  
Silhouette stood up, and turned her back towards him.

"It's a shame your little friend Crypto managed to escape." she continued. "But we expect him to come look for you, to try and rescue you. Being the sports we are, we'll give him ten days to find you, and if he hasn't by the tenth day, we'll _dissect you alive_, just like little Crypto-136."

Silhouette turned around again to take an amused look at Pox's shocked expression.

"Of course, when he does manage to find this base we'll capture him too and he'll get to watch before being next. Take off his restraints." she then barked at one of the soldiers.

The soldier stepped towards Pox and unlocked the cuffs around his wrists, taking them off.  
Pox immediately lifted his left hand, gesturing it towards Silhouette to slam her against the ceiling with his PK. But to his horror, nothing happened.

A wicked grin appeared on Silhouette's face again.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to mention…" she told Pox. "See that little device on the wall outside the cell there? That's a Mind Flasher. Neat little gizmo. As long as that little gadget lets loose its subsonic wavepulses your mental abilities are down for the count."

She then suddenly lunged for him again, whipping out her gun, pinning him to the concrete wall by his neck and pressing the barrel of the gun to the side of his head.  
Pox nearly started hyperventilating, his terror of the insane woman obvious.

"So don't even _think_ of throwing me around. There's no way for you to escape your _fate_."

She then roughly hit him with the butt of her gun against the side of his head, making him fall to his side on the floor.  
Silhouette then stood up and marched out of the cell, the other humans following her, with one soldier locking the barred door behind him.

A moment later, another heavy door could be heard closing, and then the complex went quiet.  
His cranium throbbing with pain, Pox slowly sat up.

He placed a hand to his head for a moment to check if he was bleeding, but didn't seem to be. Great Arkvoodle, he was in a grim perdicament. Waiting for Crypto to find him within ten days without getting captured himself was the only option Pox had, for it was impossible for him to escape on his own without his cerebral chair.

Pox observed his surroundings a bit more closely. His cell was quite primitive, yet efficient. The only wall visible to him outside his cell was the one directly in front of the bars. It was also made of concrete, and had a small narrow window high up the wall. This suggested to Pox the building was partially underground. And there was that damn Mind Flasher…

Pox dragged himself across the cell, towards the bars. As he reached them, he tried to peek around the corner to see what else was in the building.  
He couldn't see much, he could only conclude his cell lay at a long corridor.

He then focussed on the Mind Flasher hanging on the wall, and could actually feel it disturbing his concentration at it sent out its pulses.  
He tried to grab hold of it with his psychokinesis to yank it off the wall, putting all his mental might in what should have been an easy feat, but it proved impossible.

After several attempts, Pox gave up.

Brains, this was a disaster… Without his mental abilities, there was no way for him to defend himself against those filthy monkeys. And there was no way of knowing what else they were planning to do with him…

After about an hour, Pox heard the complex's door open again. As he sat in a corner of his cell, his legs drawn towards him, two humans came walking into his view.

It was Silhouette, and this time she had with her what looked like a female medic, dressed in a plain female uniform with sleek blonde hair reaching down to her shoulders, carrying a bag with her.  
Silhouette unlocked the cell door, and both then entered it.

"Is this him…?" the medic spoke, clearly in wonder of the alien. "My word…"

"Just take a look at him, I don't have all day." Silhouette growled.

The medic set her bag on the floor, taking a syringe from it. She then started to approach Pox with it, whom immediately responded by trying to scramble away from her.

"Please, I won't hurt you…!" the woman let out, but Pox didn't stop scurrying around.

Letting out an annoyed grunt, Silhouette pulled out her gun, stepped closer while aiming it at Pox, and barked,

"Sit still and let her examine you or I'll shoot through your kneecaps, capiche?"

She emphasized her threat by cocking the gun, and Pox slowly, reluctantly, stopped moving.

"What's wrong with his legs?" the medic asked, noticing Pox couldn't move them. "Are they paralyzed?"

"No, as far as we know he does feel them. He just can't move them. I can kick him to make sure…"

"Er… That won't be necessary…"

The female medic then introduced the needle to Pox's arm, making him wince, and drew out some of his blood. She carefully stored the filled syringe in her bag again and took out a stethoscope. She held it to Pox's chest and listened, but of course did not become much wiser of Pox's racing heart. Lowering it to her shoulders, she then placed a hand to the side of his head, making him flinch again.

"This looks recent." she told Silhouette, referring to the wound on Pox's forehead.

"Yes, I hit him." Silhouette sighed aloofly. "He deserved it."

The medic looked at Pox again, seemingly a bit concerned.

"Well, he is not going to survive for ten days if you're already molesting him." she frowned. "And I suggest you give him a blanket and pillow to make it through the cold nights. What do you eat, little fellow…?"

"Enough!" Silhouette bellowed. "All he'll get is water, perhaps a little bread! If you're done checking him we are leaving now…!"

"What exactly is he here for?" the medic asked. "He doesn't look that dangerous to me…!"

"That's none of your concern! Now grab your things and come with me."

With that Silhouette already turned around and stepped out the cell, the medic nervously following shortly. She then slammed the metal door shut and locked it up again before marching off with the other woman.


	14. A Midnight Visit

From then on, Pox was left alone again save for a soldier that came round about two hours later to toss a blanket in his cell. As the hours progressed, Pox could see it getting darker outside through the window outside his cell, and as the light faded, the building also cooled down significantly.

It had to be around midnight as he pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself, shivering in a corner of the cell again as nothing but darkness accompanied him.

If he could only contact Crypto… Yet, even if his mental abilities were still functioning there wasn't much he could tell Crypto that would be of help to find him…  
Deep in his thoughts and worries, Pox was startled to suddenly hearing the complex door open. The base had been quiet all night, what human could still be out this late…?

He could see a shadowy form stopping in front of his cell, and hear it unlock it. The human stepped inside, and then, strangely, locked the door behind it.  
The human then approached Pox, and he could finally see who it was. And it only heightened his concern.

"Hello, Orthopox…" Silhouette spoke to him, glaring down at him.

Pox just sat there, shaking of both cold and nervousity. What did she want…?

"You're probably wondering about a lot of things…" she spoke in a low tone. "How did we find you, why am I still around…? Well, luckily for us you two were foolish enough not to cloak your ship whilst flying past one of our bases. I always keep several squads at immediate alert for just such an occasion, you see, so we tracked you down and ambushed you."

She then kneeled in front of him and got uncomfortably close again, practically breathing in his face.

"I've always _dreamed_ of capturing you so I could make you pay for all you've done to my people, and now you're sitting right in front of me, not even able to raise a finger against whatever I want to do to you."

She then slapped Pox in his face, making him let out a small yelp as he defensively made himself small.

"As to how I am still alive…?" she continued. "Well, let's just say you Furons are good, but not that good."

She then swiftly kicked his lower left leg, making Pox cry in pain again, holding his legs while slightly whimpering.

"Oh, you think _that_ hurts? Well, get used to it, little Orthopox, 'cause the next nine days will be your own personal _hell_!"

Silhouette then forcefully slammed her right forearm against Pox's neck, pinning him against the wall and squeezing the air out of him.  
She laughed menacingly as Pox squirmed underneath her, frantically trying to free himself.

As he struggled, slowly running out of oxygen, it was clear he was no match for her physical strength, so he extended his left hand past her, trying to reach for the gun on her belt.  
Extending his arm as far as he could, he managed to grab it, and immediately aimed it at her.

Silhouette looked unfazed, and slightly loosened her grip on him.

"What are you going to do, shoot me…?"

Pox kept his aim, a wild look of panic in his eyes and his hands shaking as he held the gun in her face.

"Go ahead." Silhouette hissed. "Shoot me."

Pox tightly closed his eyes and pulled the trigger, but all the gun did was click.  
Opening his eyes again in confusion, Pox had the gun yanked out of his hands by Silhouette, whom let out an insane cackle.

"You idiot…!" she exclaimed. "You actually thought I'd bring a _loaded_ gun into a cell with a prisoner?"

She then forcefully bashed the side of his head with the weapon, causing him to fly two feet to his left before hitting the ground on his chest, knocked out.


	15. That Bites

It was well into the next day before Pox finally woke up to a splitting headache.

As he sat up and rubbed his forehead, he felt a bandage had been applied to it. Someone had placed his blanket back over him and soon he also noticed a small bowl of water and a piece of stale bread had been left next to him.

It was an understatement to say he felt like crap, and he wasn't hungry in the slightest bit, yet still he picked up the bowl and drank down the water after checking it, and even ate the not so appetizing piece of bread, for it might be the only sustenance he'd get.  
Just after he'd finished it he heard the complex door again, a sound which already made his gut twist. Yet thankfully, it wasn't Silhouette who appeared at his cell, but the medic that had checked him earlier.

She stayed outside the cell, and had a stack of textile in her hands. As she looked Pox's way, she noticed he was awake again.

"There you are." she spoke, sounding friendly. "I have something for you…"

She placed the texiles on the floor of his cell after manouvering them through the bars. Pox could then see it was another blanket, and a pillow.  
He slightly frowned at the gesture. Why was this woman helping him?

"I have to leave again before anyone gets suspicious of me." the medic then told him. "Hang in there, alright…?"

The lady then stood up and left again, her brisk footsteps dying out through the hallway, and a few seconds later, the door could be heard closing again.

'Hang in there'…? What in galaxies was that supposed to mean?

It didn't take very long for the night to unfurl itself over the base again, and Pox, after retrieving the extra blanket and pillow, had settled in his corner again.  
The simple objects the medic had brought him were most welcome, the pillow cushioning Pox's behind from the cold concrete floor and the two blankets wrapped around him kept him moderately warm.

He had been sitting there for hours, keeping himself small to retain his body heat and was currenly slumbering, yet his current perdicament did not allow him to sleep.  
But he jolted to attention as the heavy door at the invisible end of the corridor opened again, and a few second later, was closed.

Instantly Pox could taste his adrenaline in his mouth, his heart racing as familiar footsteps neared. He peeked over his knees at the corridor side of his cell, and saw an equally familiar silhouette halt at his cell, enter it, and lock it again.

He didn't move as the figure neared him, once again revealing herself to be Silhouette.  
She kneeled in front of him, and placed her hand underneath his chin to make him look at her.

"Hello, Poxy…" she said, running an index finger along his forehead. "How are we feeling tonight? Aww, it doesn't still hurt, does it…?"

She then let him go again, sitting down on the floor in front of him.

"I've been studying medicine myself for a while now, you know…" she told him casually. "Mostly anatomy, though also a little surgery. All funded by the government…"

Pox just sat there as she talked to him, not being able to help trembling as he waited for things to go wrong again.

"I must have dissected a zillion frogs by now…" Silhouette sighed. "I like the feeling the scalpel gives you when it tears through their supple green skin…"

She traced her finger along Pox's left forearm with her words, making him quickly retreat it.  
Silhouette laughed for a moment, before continuing,

"You see, Orthopox… I will have the honor of dissecting you alive eight days from now. It's too bad the corpse of Crypto-136 was lost, he would have been perfect to practise on."

"Crypto will find me." Pox hissed. "He'll wipe out this entire base if need be to get to me. And then he'll crush you just like he did fifteen years ago."

"Is that so?" Silhouette spoke. "We know your little minion better than you think, Furon, and we've learned from our past mistakes. We are well prepared for him this time, so even _if_ he manages to find this base we'll be able to capture him straight away."

"And _how_ were you planning to do that?" Pox asked with a scowl.

Silhouette let out a mean laugh again.

"Of course I'm not telling you…" she replied. "You can ask him that yourself when he joins you in this cell. If you're not on the dissection table by then, that is…"

"You're wrong, you raving psychotic monkey!" Pox exclaimed furiously. "It is _I_ who will be dissecting _you_!"

Immediately Silhouette responded by grabbing him and pinning him to the ground on his back, making him let out a startled gasp. She then sat on top of him and lowered her face close to his while keeping his wrists to the ground.

"You're the one who's mistaken, Furon!" she barked as Pox squirmed underneath her. "I'll cut you up and relish every second of it!"

She then suddenly tore the shirt of Pox's robes right apart, exposing his light grey chest.

"I can't wait to taste your blood as I make you bleed to death…" she menacingly whispered as Pox panted in terror. "I know exactly where to cut, how to cut…"

She then traced her right index finger across Pox's chest, cutting his skin with her sharp nails and making him groan of pain, forming a Y as if already dissecting him.

"… To make everything as painful, and last as long as possible without killing you…"

Pox writhed underneath her, trying to break free but she grabbed his wrists again and leaned down while pinning them to the floor as she continued,

"And spill your guts all over the floor before I finally slice your throat…"

She then ran her tongue along Pox's cut and bleeding skin, licking up the blood that had seeped out and letting out a satisfied moan.  
Pox shook with sheer terror, sensing the insane woman's twisted erotic pleasure as she slowly opened her eyes again.

"Delicious…" she whispered into the air.

She then looked down at the panting and trembling Pox again, his wide open eyes filled with terror granting her even more gratification.

"What's the matter, Orthopox…?" she pouted. "Are you afraid of women who know what they want…? Are you afraid of _strong_ women…? I thought you Furons would enjoy a little kinky foreplay…"

She then leaned down again, sparking a violent struggle from Pox, throwing in all his might to resist the deranged human. Silhouette was, however, far stronger than he was and he couldn't stop her from reaching his chest again, twirling her tongue around his nipples and tasting his blood once more.

Silhouette was losing herself in her delirious lust, feeling Pox squirm underneath her arousing her even more. She kept a firm hold on him as she continued ravishing his chest with her tongue and teeth, contently listening to her victim's noises of anguish.

Until Pox suddenly bit her left shoulder, deeply sinking his sharp teeth in her flesh.

"_AAGH!_" she screamed, immediately jolting up as a sharp pain shot through her limb.

Furiously she bashed Pox's chest with her fist, knocking the wind out of him before hitting him again in the head, and then dragged him up by his arm, forcefully throwing him against a cell wall. Pox hit the ground roughly, and curled himself up as small as he could.

"You little grey piece of shit!" Silhouette yelled at him. "Now I've got to get this treated!"

She immediately marched off, careful not to let drops of her blood reach the floor as she slammed the cell door shut and locked behind her, and then left the complex.

Pox was left behind shaking and whimpering, hardly understanding what had all just happened to him.


	16. Twisted Revenge

Around 9 AM the following morning, the sun had risen over the base again.  
Pox had managed to make it back to his blankets and pillow, and wrap himself in them. He didn't even have the strength to sit up anymore, all he could do was lie down.

He had silently been crying, his desperation now complete as it was painfully obvious he was at the utter mercy of Silhouette, whom had violated him so grotesquely.  
He closed his eyes in sorrow as he heard that cursed door again, and three pairs of feet walking down the corridor.

His cell door was unlocked, and Pox could hear two of the three humans walk his way.  
Something was set on the floor near him, and then a familiar voice spoke.

"Oh my goodness, he looks dreadful. Any idea what happened to him…?"

Pox slowly opened his eyes, and saw the female medic kneeling in front of him, with Silhouette standing nearby, her arms crossed.

"How would you look after three days of imprisonment?" Silhouette replied gruffly.

The medic then extended a hand, and removed the blanket covering Pox, revealing his injured and battered body.

"Oh my goodness…!" she gasped again, startled by the sight of poor Pox's wounds and bruises. "How did this happen…?"

Silhouette stepped over to take a look at the results of her handywork. Pox could then see she had managed to conceal her injured shoulder quite well.

"Most likely automutilation." she lied. "The little bastard's probably going insane because of his impending doom."

"But how do you explain the 'Y'…?!"

"He cut his own skin…" Silhouette shrugged. "We've already told him he is to be dissected. Or one of the base's soldiers came here to let off some steam. You know how they are…"

The medic rummaged in her bag, getting out some cotton wool and disinfectant to treat Pox's cut skin while Silhouette glared down at him, warning him with a threatening frown to keep his mouth shut.  
As the woman approached him with a small wad of cotton Pox silently let her treat him, trying not to flinch as the disinfectant stinged his wounds.

"This seems far too serious for him to be able to do to himself." the medic told Silhouette. "Especially if he can't even stand up. We need to find out who did this to him if you want him to make it until next Tuesday."

"I'll talk to some people." Silhouette said with a sigh. "And who gave that pillow to him, anyway?"

She leaned over and snatched Pox's pillow away from him, shooting him another nasty glare. She then marched out the cell again, shoving the pillow in the soldier's hands.

"Lock everything up after she's done, private." Silhouette barked at him.

"Yes, madam."

She then went down the hall again and left the building without another word.  
The medic then got out some bandage shears and carefully cut through Pox's torn turtleneck shirt, removing it from his body.

"Soldier," she started, glancing behind her. "Could you get me some inmate clothes from the closet down the corridor? Try to find the smallest size available…"

"Yes, miss." the soldier droned, and walked out of view.

"Don't worry…" the medic then whispered to Pox. "I want to help you…"

Pox slightly frowned, not entirely understanding what she meant and the soldier returned to the cell with some blue colored clothes before the medic could say any more.

"Thank you." the woman spoke, accepting the clothes.

The soldier then returned to his spot outside, next to the cell door while the lady placed the inmate clothes in Pox's lap.

"You can put these on instead." she told him. "I'll be back soon."

She gave him a smile and then stood up, the soldier opening the door for her.  
Pox watched her walk out the cell, and out of view, the soldier soon following her after locking up the cell again.  
A moment later they left the complex, and Pox was alone once more.

For the entire remainder of the day Pox was left to rot, not being brought any water or food and not given any more medical attention. He had put on the oversized blue cotton shirt, leaving on the white skirt of his robes which wasn't torn, and stayed in his corner, dreading the approaching nightfall.

Where was Crypto…? Would he be able to find him in time…? Brains, those filthy humans had probably planned and prepared this well, Crypto would never find him…

Suddenly, the sound of the heavy entrance door filled the complex again.  
Pox felt his heart instantly sinking in desperation. She was early this time…

Angry, firm footsteps echoed through the corridor, followed by the metally creaking noise of Pox's cell door's hinges, and a metally clank of it closing.  
Before Pox could well and truly prepare himself Silhouette was already right in front of him, dragging him up and hauling him over to the metal bars.

She slammed his back against them, and immediately sat on his lap and motionless legs, keeping him pinned in his position.  
As she looked him straight in his petrified eyes with fury in her own, she hissed,

"What you did to my shoulder really hurts…"

Silhouette then abruptly lunged forward and bit the skin of Pox's neck, making his head, back and shoulders slam against the metal bars.  
As Pox hopelessly struggled she grabbed his arms, and pulled them back, through the bars and behind his back. All the while not ceasing to ravish his neck, she linked his wrists together with handcuffs, leaving him with no escape and no defense.

She then sat up to catch her breath, and to take a look at her terrified victim.  
Pox panted as he looked back, his eyes filled to the brim with fear and a small stream of his blood running down his neck, onto the blue fabric of his shirt.

"Where's your little friend Crypto, Orthopox…?" Silhouette pouted at him. "Has he abandoned you, left you to the mercy of those horrible monkeys?"

Pox didn't dare say anything, he didn't want to make it any worse for himself, if that was even possible.

"Time's running out, you know… In just one week from now you'll be stored into jars."

She then suddenly locked her lips onto his, immediately forcing her tongue past them.  
Silhouette tightly clutched the fabric of Pox's shirt as she violently kissed him, wrapping her legs around him and the bars behind him, crushing him against them while pressing herself against his genderless lower half.

Even with his mental abilities mostly nullified by the nearby Mind Flasher, Pox could feel the terrifying and disturbing erotic pleasure Silhouette got from tormenting and violating him, emphasized by the aroused noises she made.  
Pox wanted to try and give in to it, to not grant her the satisfaction his resistance gave her, but it was impossible. The constant physical pain she delivered him made his body jerk and protest, his noises of pain adding to her delectation.

After several minutes Silhouette finally broke the kiss, panting as arousal clouded her eyes.

"Please…" Pox gasped, tears flowing down his cheeks. "Please stop…"

Silhouette let out a small titter, mockingly wiping away one of his tears.

"I love it when a man begs…"

She continued abusing him for what seemed like hours, battering him around once she was done venting her lust on him.  
Eventually, Pox's frail body could not take any more and he had passed out, ending the fun for Silhouette.


	17. An Ally

Pox remained unconscious for most of the fourth day, in an attempt of his body to protect itself. When he did finally come to he still felt like he'd been hit by a train, wishing Silhouette would just accidentally kill him next time and get it over with.  
His wounds had been cleaned and treated, undoubtedly by the blonde medic, and a bowl of water stood waiting, which Pox had quickly drank down.  
His body was already feeling like it was ready to give up for good, the overgratuitous violence and lack of sustenance taking their vicious toll.

Through the small window outside his cell, Pox could see the light outside was dim, yet he wasn't sure whether it meant dawn or dusk. He feared the latter.  
He tried to keep himself from breaking down entirely, not wanting to be caught crying by Silhouette when she would undoubtedly turn up for a midnight visit again.

But it wasn't easy. The physical and mental torture he was forced to endure by that twisted female rivaled the cruelty of any other enemy Pox had ever faced. If only Crypto would find him… Or if only Pox could lay his head down and just die to be recloned safely up in the Mothership…

The early autumn sun had only just gone under entirely when the prison complex door was opened again, yet this time, very slow and quietly. If Pox hadn't already been listening for it in dread he might not even have heard it.  
Was this some kind of sick new strategy…? Was Silhouette trying to enter undetected to pounce him in his sleep?

Pox sat as still as a shrew, huddled up in his blankets in the corner of his cell while tensely eyeing the corridor, expecting Silhouette to come creeping into view at any moment.  
But to his surprise, it was the blonde medic that appeared at his cell door, quickly unlocking it.  
Pox slightly raised his head as she approached him while leaving the door open, thinking he was hallucinating, but it was undeniable once she spoke,

"We need to act quickly, little fellow. I'm going to get you out of here."

She kneeled in front of him, looking him in the eyes.

"I know it's Silhouette who's been doing those awful things to you." she told him. "I'll take you to a safe place so you'll be able to make your way home."

"Why are you helping me…?" Pox asked in a whisper, his voice sounding a bit raw and weak.

"I'm not sure… Something's just telling me I have to." the woman replied. "Let's go…"

The blonde medic then carefully placed her arms underneath Pox's legs and behind his back, and picked him up. Pox tightly closed his eyes for a moment as aches shot through him, his battered body protesting to being moved.  
The woman then turned around and took no more than two steps with Pox towards the exit before halting abruptly.

For in the open cell door stood Silhouette, blocking the way with her arms crossed.

"Just where do you think you're going…?" she sinisterly hissed.

A feeling of panic overcame the medic, which translated to her countenance.

"I-I was going to… take him to the restrooms, to wash him up a little…" she stammered in reply.

"In the middle of the night, with your car waiting outside with its doors open and the engine running…?"

The blonde was then at a loss for excuses, realizing they were in big trouble.

"I strongly suggest you put him down before I do it for you." Silhouette threatened.

"Look at him…!" the medic exclaimed. "This is illegal! You're torturing him!"

Silhouette took two furious steps towards them, making the blonde take a step back in response.

"Illegal my ass!" she yelled. "He's a freaking mass murdering _alien_! It _is_ illegal, however, to shanghai prisoners from their cells! Now put. Him. _Down_."

Silhouette intimidating her out of her skull, the medic then placed an equally scared Pox back on his butt on the floor.  
Once she stood up straight again, Silhouette immediately slapped her across her face.

"You're going to pay for this pathetic treason…" she hissed, and then grabbed the medic's left wrist.

Before the blonde could do anything about it Silhouette had turned her around and handcuffed her behind her back.

"Now _move_!" she barked, shoving the medic in front of her, out the cell door.

"I'm sorry, little Furon…!" the blonde let out, a tear running down her cheeks as Silhouette slammed the cell door shut and locked it.

"I'll deal with you later…" the dark haired fury hissed at Pox, and then marched off with the ill-fated blonde.

Poor Pox was left sitting flummoxed in the middle of his dark and cold cell.


	18. It's Over

Thankfully, Silhouette did not return that night, probably busy ensuring the medic's punishment.  
However, the next three nights were as fateful as the previous ones had been, with Silhouette appearing steadfastly around midnight each time to make sure Pox suffered until he was to take his last breath.

The medic's attempt to help him escape had only served as oil on the fire that was Silhouette's hatred towards Pox, her merciless violence evident of it.

Each time she battered and agonized the poor defenseless Furon to the point she had to force herself to stop to make sure he'd live and preferrably not pass out, but only barely. And whenever she noticed Pox was trying to be brave by staying quiet, she just upped her tactics to get those squeaks and pleas of agony out of him that she enjoyed so much.

By the early morning of the ninth day, Pox lay out cold in the back of his cell, where he'd been left by Silhouette hours ago.  
Slowly and silently, his body was failing, yet his mind was vividly active.

Pox found himself in a beautifully serene place, white and light purple clouds as they appeared on Furon slowly and noiselessly circling around him.  
A few yards in front of him, a beautiful Furon younglady dressed in traditional religious gowns drifted out from the clouds, smiling kindly at him.  
Her eyes glowed a pale blue, and she slowly and elegantly extended her hand at Pox, beckoning him.

Nearly entranced, Pox looked back at her. Should he go to her…?  
She blinked her stunning eyes seemingly in slow motion, her delicate gown drifting and floating around her as she smiled that irresistible smile at him.  
Slowly, Pox moved forward, extending his own hand to reach for hers.

Their fingers were mere inches apart, moments from touching when Pox's spirit was suddenly yanked back.

Pox came to with a gasp, his wide open eyes facing Silhouette sitting on top of him, having just slapped him across the face.

"Good morning, starshine. The Earth says hello."

Three soldiers standing by the door let out a laugh at Silhouette's mocking remark, while she smirked down at a slightly disorientated Pox.

"Tomorrow's the big day." the vixen announced, and let out a faked shudder. "Ooh, so exciting, I've got butterflies… Don't you…?"

Pox just stared up at her, his waist getting sore of the deranged woman's weight.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue…?" Silhouette scoffed him further, running an index finger along his lips. "Too bad your little boyfriend Crypto never came to save you…"

Pox immediately snapped his sharp teeth at her hand for her insulting comment, but she reacted instantly, drawing away her fingers quick enough for him to miss them.  
As a retribution she slapped him across the face again, making him let out a noise of pain as his head was forced to its side.

"Nice try, you freak." she barked at him. "I _was_ going to give you this."

She reached for a bowl of water standing behind her, picking it up, but instead of giving it to Pox she turned it over above him, splashing the water in his face.  
The soldiers standing near bursted into laughter again as Pox flinched and tightly closed his eyes, his cotton shirt soaked and his precious water useless.

Silhouette threw the bowl aside and got off of Pox, tossing a piece of bread in his lap and then left the cell, locking it and subsequently left along with the still laughing soldiers.  
Pox was left flustered, lying wet on his back on the floor.

This was just like high school…

His last remaining day he was forced to spend as lonesome as the preceding ones, with this time, of course, the medic not even coming round.  
Pox did not eat the bread he'd been given, suspicious about it smelling funny. His starved and stressed guts probably wouldn't be able to stand any solid food now anyway.

He'd given up all hope of Crypto coming for his rescue. His thoughts were now dominated by the imminent dissection, with him being the subject.  
Silhouette had made painfully clear to him in the past few days that it would be her grand finale, assuring him he would suffer more than he would ever have been able to imagine.

Though already Pox felt worse than he'd ever felt before, feeling more ill of dread with each hour that passed while already being practically half dead to begin with.  
All he could do was lie wrapped in his blankets, awaiting the night. Silhouette would undoubtedly have some special surprise in store for him, for it would be the last night in which she could molest him.

As Pox lay passively staring into nothing, the orange turning light outside told him evening was rolling in.

He barely registered the sound of the complex door creaking open, his mind drowned in his defeat and his body too tired to tell him what was happening.  
As Pox's eyes blankly stared at the cell bars, his slightly out of focus vision showed a soldier stopping in front of them. The broken Furon Commander then slowly closed his eyes, not wanting to know what the human was there for.

He heard what seemed like an annoyed growl, and something falling on the floor. Subsequently it sounded like what had fallen to the floor was then crushed.  
For a moment, silence. Then his cell door was opened, and quieter than usual footsteps came his way.

Pox let out a small desolate sigh, feeling tears welling up and stinging his eyes.

"Pox…?"

Pox's eyes shot open at the concerned sounding whisper of his name, spoken by a voice that could only belong to one person.  
Squatting in front of him and worriedly looking down at him was Crypto, whom Pox had never been so glad to see.

"Crypto…!" Pox squeaked, immediately trying to sit up. "Thank Arkvoodle, you've found me…!"

The warrior clone quickly supported his mentor's back, helping him sit up.  
The worriful frown on his face did not fade as he looked at the near-death Pox.

"Dammit, Pox, what the hell have they done to you…?"

"There's no time…" Pox told him, hardly able to finish his sentences. "We need to get out of here immediately…!"

"Yeah, uh, I made it through the base with a HoloBob." Crypto spoke. "If we wrap those covers around you I may be able to sneak you out again."

"That may be our best chance… We need to hurry, we cannot get caught…!"

"Yeah, I hear ya…"

Crypto then quickly grabbed the blankets and helped Pox cover himself up as much as possible. It wasn't exactly flawless, as Pox's cranial implants were quite difficult to conceal.  
When they'd achieved the best they could for now, Pox still able to see, Crypto assumed a soldier HoloBob again.

"You ready, Pox?" the disguised warrior clone asked.

"Yes…" Pox squeaked in reply.

Crypto then lifted Pox off the floor, and the poor battered Furon was not able to hold back a small cry of pain.

"You alright…?" Crypto asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'll be fine…" Pox replied uneasily. "Please just hurry, and avoid as many humans as possible…"

Crypto then made his way out the cell, seeming to the oblivious to be carrying an odd bundle of blankets.  
He checked left and right twice before leaving the prison complex, and set in a brisk pace towards the nearest gate of the base.  
He could feel Pox weakly trying to hold on to him, his frailty concerning the warrior clone. He could also hear him make small noises every now and then, apparently in pain as his rescuer carried him.

When nearly half way, Crypto could see a darkly clad figure nearing him in his periphery vision, and quickened his pace to try and avoid the human.

"Not so fast, soldier." the figure barked with a female voice.

Crypto had little other choice than to stop and try to talk himself out of it rather than run and surely spark a hunt.  
But as he turned around, his eyes widened at the woman that stepped up to him.  
His mouth hanging slightly ajar, he was barely able to prevent himself from letting out an astonished '_What the_…'.

"What have you got there, private?" Silhouette asked him sternly.

"Oh, uh, me…?" Crypto stammered. "Just some, uh… dirty laundry, sir. Eh, ma'am."

"The launderette is _that_ way, soldier. Let me inspect that 'laundry'."

Before Crypto could stop her Silhouette peeked into the covers, looking straight into a pair of dark eyes.  
Immediately she pulled her gun, but in a lightning fast response Crypto yanked it out of her hands with his PK, and then turned and made a run for it, dropping his disguise.

"_The Furon is escaping!_" Silhouette shouted in a furious outburst, alerting all on the base. "_All units attack NOW!_"

Almost instantly soldiers came running out from everywhere, heading for and aiming at Crypto, who activated his jetpack as he ran like hell.  
Taking a big leap, Crypto got a big speed boost from the jets, thus also evading the rounds shot at him. The base's gate with the Scout Ship waiting just beyond it neared rapidly, but they weren't out in the clear yet.  
Pox clinged terrified to an already panting Crypto, while one of the now useless covers blew away, twirling in the jetstream of Crypto's jetpack.

"_KILL THEM, DAMN IT!_" Silhouette screamed like a maniac, hot on their tail.

Her fired shots were all well off target as she frantically pursued them, running like the devil to recapture her nemesi, and managing to gain in on them fast when Crypto's jetpack ran out and he had to continue running.

"We're nearly there, Pox…!" Crypto let out, sprinting towards the cloaked saucer.

It soon deactivated its cloak as the two Furons got near, and as soon as Crypto reached it he leaped into the Abducto Beam, the ship quickly carrying them in.

"_BLAST THAT THING!_" Silhouette barked at her subordinates while tanks and SAM-launchers rolled in at the scene. "DON'T LET THOSE FREAKS ESCAPE!"

At the same time the Scout Ship's landing gear was already retreating, and the vessel started to take off.  
All present tanks, launchers, soldiers and even Silhouette opened fire on its hull, but as soon as the ship was properly in the air Crypto hastily let it zoom off.  
Within seconds it was out of reach of the humans, surviving with moderate damage.

His heart still pounding in his chest, Crypto let out a sigh of relief as the ship safely started to make its way back to the Mothership.  
He then glanced behind him, to look at Pox sitting in the back of the cockpit, finally out of Silhouette's clutches.  
He still didn't look too good, though, his breathing sounding raspy as he stared at his feet.

Getting up from the pilot's seat, Crypto then went over to and kneeled next to him, now finally being able to take a proper look at his mentor.

He was a bit shocked to conclude it seemed even worse than he thought. Poor Pox was battered and bruised nearly all over, and was clearly much skinnier than he'd already been before. He looked the warrior clone in the eyes, still looking more desolate than Crypto had ever seen him before.

"Thank you for saving me, Crypto…" he managed to squeak to him.

"No sweat, Poxy…" Crypto replied silently. "I told you I'd come back for you."

The Scout Ship then landed in the Mothership's hangar, thus returning the two occupying Furons safely to their home.

"Quickly, take me to the lab, Crypto…" Pox spoke weakly, already placing his hand on one of Crypto's shoulders. "We need to find Silhouette and-…"

"No way, Poxy." Crypto interrupted him, carefully picking him up. "I'm takin' you to a nice warm bed and get you some soup or somethin', before you die on me. That chick is probably expectin' us and has long gone, hidin' somewhere like she's apparently done for the past fifteen years. You've had enough, ya hear me? You need rest, and lots of it."

Pox was silent as Crypto carried him out of the ship, and realized he was right. As insane as she may be, Silhouette was not stupid and would probably prove very difficult to find.

The two Furons remained quiet as Crypto carried his mentor to the elevator, and took him up to the sleeping quarters. Once there he took him over to one of the large beds in the bedrooms, and gently lay Pox on it.

"Let's get those threads off you first." Crypto spoke, referring to the clothes, or what was left of them, Pox had on.

All the warrior clone had to do was rip the remaining strips of fabric that held the prison shirt together, as Silhouette had already done the preliminary work.  
He then took off the ragged white skirt of Pox's robes, and placed the covers over him.

Pox lay his head down with a sigh, too exhausted to even feel embarrassed.  
Crypto kneeled next to the bed, a concerned look on his face again.

"What the hell did that bitch put you through, Pox…?" he asked in a whisper.

At the same time the warrior clone reached for Pox's mind, and without a word he let him in, showing Crypto in an instant all preceding ten days, and everything he had been forced to endure.

The young Furon was nearly knocked back by the confronting images his mind was bombarded with, grabbing hold of the rim of the bed as he widened his eyes.

"Holy crap…" he let out. "Holy crap…"

He then grabbed hold of Pox's right hand, looking him in the eyes as tears nearly filled his own.

"I'm so sorry, Pox…" he whispered.

"Don't be, Crypto…" Pox replied. "This isn't your fault… Neither of us could have foreseen this…"

"Is there anything I can do for you…?"

"No… I just need to sleep… I desperately need sleep…"

Reluctantly, Crypto had then left Pox by himself, to allow him to sleep.  
The warrior clone had gone down to sit in the Mothership's living room, and was now blankly staring at the non-active television screen as Pox's transferred memories of his capture dominated his mind again.

Now being able to see everything fully, Crypto could hardly bear seeing Pox getting battered and violated by Silhouette over and over again, even able to hear her threats to him.  
The only consolation Crypto could give himself as the violence haunted his mind was that he had at least saved Pox from a gruesome vivisection.

After sitting by himself for just over an hour, Crypto decided to head back up to the sleeping quarters to take a shower and hopefully shake things off for a bit.  
As he quietly went by Pox as he walked through the bedrooms, he could hear his mentor breathing, raspy yet quiet. He seemed to be alright, given the circumstances, so Crypto headed on to the bathroom and undressed to take a shower.

After about ten minutes, he had finished it and dried himself off as he walked out the bathroom, to one of his closets to get some fresh clothes.  
After putting on a pair of jeans, he chose a dark green shirt and was about to put it on as he heard Pox's breathing change.  
It went from steady and quiet to sounding a bit troubled, with Pox making small noises as if he were in pain. It lasted for about twenty seconds before Pox finally let out a very slow and lengthy exhale, and went quiet.

Quickly putting his shirt on, Crypto listened intently, but didn't hear Pox's normal raspy breathing anymore. No breathing at all.  
He quickly went over to his mentor's bedside, kneeling next to it.

"Pox…?" he whispered, looking closely to Pox's closed eyes.

There was no response, so Crypto placed his hand on one of Pox's, gently nudging it.

"Hey Poxy, wake up…" Crypto whispered again, but nothing happened.

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Crypto then tried to reach Pox's mind.

But it was no longer there.

Dammit. Those freakin' monkeys had still managed to kill old Poxy.

**-ENDSKI**-


End file.
